London, Mar 7(ANI): Former Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton has confessed that he had considered quitting over last year’s Liargate scandal.

Hamilton also said that he is still haunted by the shame of being exposed as a liar during the Malaysian Grand Prix.

The Britain driver was forced to make a humiliating public apology after being caught telling fibs to race stewards in a bid to win an extra championship point.

“I do care about how people perceive me. After what happened it was a feeling of, ‘Maybe I shouldn’t be in the sport’. It was not a desire to leave the team, but to stop racing. For a split second I thought, ‘This is too much to take’,” News of The World quoted Hamilton, as saying.

“But there was support from my family, the team and the fans - I received some amazing letters - and I thought, ‘You know what, I made a mistake, but I am being given a second chance by all these people’. But I don’t want to be in that position again,” he added.

Hamilton had been promoted from fourth to third in last season’s opening race in Australia after Toyota’s Jarno Trulli was penalised for overtaking him under a safety car.

The 25-year-old, and then team manager Dave Ryan, told stewards in Melbourne that he had not been ordered to move over for Trulli.

The pair repeated the claim before stewards at the next race in Malaysia despite evidence from the team-to-car radio, which proved that Hamilton had twice been told to let the Italian pass.

“There was a lot to take in with what had gone on. I love racing. But I didn’t know how to react. It is hard to face people when you know that as soon as you turn your back they are talking about you. For a long period of time, for months, I would walk into a room and just didn’t feel positive,” Hamilton said.

“There was a lot of negative energy and I don’t like that. I am in a much stronger situation as a human being to be able to cope from my experiences last year. I don’t ever want to be in that position again and I don’t feel I ever will be,” he added. (ANI)