Lewis Hamilton to banish 'outside intrusions' from his mind in 2011

Former Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton has said that he will try to banish 'outside intrusions' from his mind in 2011.

The 2008 Formula One champion, however, did not go into specifics.

"My plan is to make sure I'm 100% clear in my mind and have no outside intrusions mentally. It's been a long time since I finished out of the top three of a championship. It's not something I'm particularly proud of," The Sun quoted Hamilton, as saying.

Last month, Hamilton said that he believed a full winter testing programme alongside teammate Jenson Button will be key to McLaren’s championship title hopes in 2011.

"Jenson will have a positive influence on our development over the winter. His arrival made us a stronger team and I think our joint input helped us to stay in the hunt until the very end. We already have our eye on both titles in 2011," The Sun quoted Hamilton, as saying then.

Hamilton was one of four drivers that had a chance of becoming world champion in November 2010. The title ultimately went to Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel after the challenges of Hamilton, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Vettel’s teammate Mark Webber faded.