24/03/2010
NEWS STORY
The 2009 Australian GP saw Jenson Button score the first of a remarkable run of wins, while future teammate Lewis Hamilton was on the verge of becoming embroiled in a scandal that almost ended his F1 career.
While Button savoured a Champagne drenched podium ceremony, Hamilton was in talks with his team over an incident late in the race which was to lead to Jarno Trulli being temporarily stripped of third place. In the days that followed it became clear that Hamilton had lied, a move that was to tarnish the world champion's reputation, causing him to seriously consider quitting the sport, and end the career of his team's veteran Sporting Director, Dave Ryan.
A year on, and Hamilton doesn't shy away when the scandal is mentioned, indeed, he claims it has had a positive affect on him.
"I've always had great experiences here and so I don't look at last year's experience as a bad one," hre told reporters in Melbourne. "I look at it as a stepping stone in my life, something I learned a whole lot from.
"Every time I've come here, my first year in Melbourne I got a podium position in my first grand prix, and then in 2008 I came here and I won," he continued. "Last year, don't forget I had a great race. I came from dead last on the grid up to fourth place. So it was still a good experience."