I'm no less focused than any of my peers. They live a different life. They go home; they are not pictured at events. I train just as much as them, maybe more.
People say I have an aggressive style, and sometimes I don't think that is all just me. I think it's partly because I watched Senna when I was young, and I thought, 'This is how I want to drive when I get the opportunity.'
I really like to play to squash, because it's competitive, and I like basketball. I'm friends with a guy in L.A. called Andrew Bynum, who used to play for the L.A. Lakers NBA team. We play together sometimes.
People might not know, but F1 drivers have new helmets made throughout the season. Usually, the design is the same, but I like to do something special for Monaco.
When I was a kid, I used to play a game called 'Grand Prix Two.' Interlagos was always the first race of the season on that, and I never really got much past the second race. I would always restart the season, so I always seemed to be doing Interlagos - it was a real pain!
I have so much energy. I train, I travel, I'm learning about music and fashion, reading a lot. I don't want to miss anything. I want to experience everything.
What people tend to forget is the journey that I had getting to Formula One. There were plenty of years where I had to learn about losing and having bad races.
When I first started in Formula 1, I tried to ignore the fact I was the first black guy ever to race in the sport. But, as I've got older, I've really started to appreciate the implications.
I have spent a lot of time in Italy throughout my career - especially when I was karting, because it's kind of the world centre of that sport - and I love it.
Whether it's with my engineers in the team, my home life, or my friends, I don't like things to get complicated - and one good example would be the steering wheel in my Mercedes Formula 1 car.
If I don't travel, if I stay at home for a week, I would go out of my mind. That is just the way I am. I love to be on the move, and I am fortunate that I have friends all over the world.
I started playing guitar when I was 13. I'd written a few songs on the guitar over some time. I'd written a book of poetry, and I got a book of lyrics that I had when I was a kid.