An older, wiser Lewis Hamilton now views last season's 'lie-gate' scandal as nothing more than "a stepping stone" in his life.
It is almost a year since Hamilton was caught lying to stewards following the curtain-raising 2009 Australian Grand Prix.
After starting 18th and last on the Melbourne grid in a woeful McLaren, the 25-year-old drove brilliantly to finish fourth.
Immediately after the race Hamilton was promoted to third after Jarno Trulli, then with Toyota, was penalised for passing him under the safety car.
However, Hamilton was ultimately disqualified after the stewards decided he and McLaren had provided misleading evidence relating to the incident.
A few days later Hamilton humbly apologised, and has since revealed the tawdry affair that stained his character led to him considering his future in the sport.
Approaching the anniversary of one of the turning points of his life, Hamilton remarked: "I've always had great experiences here (in Melbourne) and so I don't look at last year's experience as a bad one.
"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.
"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.
"But 2009 was a tough year altogether. I learned a lot throughout about team building and lifting up the team.
"The team does so much, but at the end of the day I'm the one who has to jump in and get the results for them."
Asked if those memories of a year ago soured his previous success, Hamilton replied: "Not at all.
"Being a racer you're always looking forward. When you're in a race car travelling at 200mph you have to look far, far forward.
"I approach my life day by day. We are in the fast lane. It goes by fast and you have to be ready for what is coming up, not what has happened in the past."
