Lewis Hamilton on why he has never driven a perfect lap - and why he is happy he hasn't

Lewis Hamilton says he has never driven a "perfect lap" in Formula 1 - and nor would he want to.

The four-time world champion broke the all-time record for the most pole positions in F1 last season, a feat which would seemingly suggest he has regularly transcended the anticipated limits of his machinery.

But Hamilton is adamant he has never achieved perfection over any of the laps he has driven in Formula 1.

And perhaps more surprisingly, Hamilton is happy about that.

"I have never done the perfect lap, ever," said the Mercedes driver. "The perfect lap? No, and that is what is so great about this sport: you never get perfect."

Not even once during his 72 pole positions? Or his 62 F1 race wins?

"You get close, maybe. But imagine if in those 30,000-odd laps, l did 1,000 or 10,000 perfect laps. That would really be boring. If you played the perfect game time and time again, you would lose motivation because it is easy. You always have to move on to something more difficult. But there is no other class better than Formula 1 so if l was to perfect it, it would suck."

In an intriguing insight into his powers of self-motivation, Hamilton instead prefers to depict perfection in F1 as an impossibility - and an achievement he would shun even if he could attain it.

"The great thing is that the car is always evolving through the year, we add a couple of seconds in development through the year, there's different weather, different emotions, different weekends, good days, bad days, wrong side of the bed, right side of the bed. All these different things are going on. So you will never do a lap that is perfect.

"There is not one corner you couldn't do better. You look at the data and think 'if I had just braked a little bit later, l would have been ahead'.

"l strive to achieve the perfect lap and it's a great feeling when you get close - but then you get frustrated when you find out you could have been better."

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