I used to walk down a street and nobody would notice me. Now, I get stopped all the time; people saying, 'well done'. It makes me really, really proud to have done my bit to help make cycling a little bit more popular.

But you have to take asthma seriously. People do not realise the stress our bodies go under.

In a sprint you make 100 decisions a second. What if X goes now and Y goes then? Should I take this gap or that one? You have to be sharp. Over time it becomes instinct.

When you win sprints, you're a great sprinter, but when you win a great one-day race, you've proved you're a great rider.

Every rider trains their muscles but few train their brain.

Nothing can really prepare you for when you get in the Formula One car. Knowing that you're driving a multimillion-dollar car, and if you crash it it's going to cost a lot of money, and they might not give you another chance, is scary.

When you get out of the car after the feeling that you have after leading the race, and the car fails, it's pretty hard to say positive things all the time.

I have always wanted to learn the piano, but because I travel so much, I can never get any consistency of lessons. So everywhere I go, if I can find a piano, even if it is in the lobby of a hotel or something, I go on YouTube and pick some songs to learn.

Formula 1 is the sort of place where people tend to have an opinion about everything, and usually, they tend to believe their own opinion is the right one, even if it relates to someone else.

I don't drive by the seat of my pants and happen to win races. I work very hard to interpret the data and drive a certain way. My engineers have confidence in me, and more often than not, when I tell them what I need or what I am feeling with the car, it's right.

Despite the name, 'lift and coast' does not mean cruising. You're trying to be as fast as you can, and you're still going through the corner on the limit, but you have to approach the corner slightly differently; otherwise, you won't make the end of the race.

I train to quite an intense level because Formula 1 is so physical - the G-forces, the demands on your body. Your heart rate is 150, 160 through the whole race. On qualifying lap, your heart rate can be up to 180, 190, under tough conditions.

Racing is what I love, so it's pretty simple. I want to keep doing it and keep winning.

When you're driving on a normal track, you can see the braking point from 500 m. away.

I think it's a shame that people are so quick to put you in a box; sometimes it's as if you do one thing, and that's all you're allowed to do.

I relate my life a lot to 'Cool Runnings,' the movie.

Ayrton Senna was my favorite driver who I wanted to be like.

When I was really young, I busted my nose when I was racing. The first thing my dad asked me was: 'Are you OK?' I said, 'Can you fix the car for tomorrow?' And I won the race the next day.

I like taking risks. I like trying new things, whether it be style or restaurants or whatever.

Since I started driving in F1 in 2006-07, the cars have got slower and easier to drive.

I had a lot of racism growing up where I grew up. Bullied at school. It definitely encouraged me. It's like battle wounds - you come out the other side, and it just makes you tougher.

I love my ink. They all have a meaning. I'm very strong in my faith, so I wanted to have some religious images. I've got Pieta, a Michelangelo sculpture of Mary holding Jesus after he came off the cross, on my shoulder. A sacred heart on my arm. Musical notes because I love music. The compass on my chest is there because church is my compass.

Sometimes, I arrive at races more energetic and clear-minded than ever, and then I have a terrible race. And the opposite is also true.

You save most fuel by lifting and coasting in the heavy braking zones at the end of long straights into slow corners.