Lewis Hamilton blames partying for poor performance last season

London, Mar 11 (ANI): Lewis Hamilton has admitted that his late night partying last year had wrecked his performance and says that he has learned from his mistakes.

The British driver is ready to start a new Formula One season in Australia next Sunday after being given time off by his McLaren team to recharge his batteries.

Hamilton, 27, endured a difficult time in 2011 on and off the track as his relationship and A-list lifestyle with Pussycat Doll singer Nicole Scherzinger hit the headlines.

He was criticised earlier this week for his jet setting by former drivers Eddie Jordan and David Coulthard, who insisted burning the candle at both ends would take its toll.

The McLaren driver appears to have taken the warning to heart and has moved to Monaco, where he can manage his private and professional life more easily.

"Last year there were quite a few times where I went out and enjoyed myself thinking it wouldn't affect me," the Sun quoted Hamilton as saying.

"But it takes you two days to recover. You have missed two days of training and your thoughts are somewhere else.

"It is all about sacrifices. It is about the travelling you do, the decisions you make and the things you want to do with your life," he said.

Last year, Hamilton was pictured coming out of a London nightclub at 4.15 am with his boxing pal Amir Khan, and at a lavish party in a Shanghai nightspot last April after he won the Chinese Grand Prix.

But the 2008 world champion is focused on regaining his crown, and that could mean a change from the swashbuckling driving style he has shown in the past.

"There will definitely be times to attack and times to defend.

"There were times I attacked when I should have stayed back. I now have a fresh mind to make those judgements," he added. (ANI)