Asked how he was feeling, Hamilton – who would not field questions on the Monaco accident – replied: “I feel good.
“I’m on an up slope, so a lot closer to 100%.”
And the triple world champion says his work commitments in Mexico following his title victory in Austin had led to him becoming run down.
“I’d gone to Mexico on the Wednesday and we worked all day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and then I had my mum’s party and that killed me! That was pretty amazing but I really felt it on Sunday and Monday.”
Asked if he could be looking forward to the end of the season to recharge his batteries, Hamilton replied: “No, I’m excited to be here because this is a race that Ayrton [Senna] struggled at for some time before he got his win and a race that I have not yet won out of all the attempts that I’ve had.
“I’m really excited to be here and I’m glad that we still have races to go. The end of the season comes and then you have a long, long wait until you get back in the car, so I’m definitely cherishing the moments I do get in the car.
“I’m not as excited for the break as usual and I don’t know why, but I’ll be busy and things that I still plan to do. I’m looking forward to the training season, that’s for sure, because I’ve definitely put on a bit of weight over the last couple of months.”