LEWIS HAMILTON believes he is no longer in need of the ‘‘bubble’’ he once desperately craved to protect him in his times of trouble.

Towards the end of 2011, when Hamilton’s hour was darkest at McLaren as he was enduring a year of whatever could go wrong did go wrong on and off track, he cast envious eyes in the direction of then team-mate Jenson Button.

For years now, Button has surrounded himself with a group of people who have been there through his all joys and sorrows, primarily his father John, girlfriend Jessica Michibata, manager Richard Goddard and trainer Mike Collier.

In contrast, at that stage Hamilton was leading a life of solitude, and seemingly had no one close to pick him up when he was down or to advise when required.

Eighteen months on and times have changed in Hamilton’s world, in particular since leaving McLaren to join Mercedes, a team content to allow him to be who he wants to be.

‘‘I relate it to when I was really young, when you had superstitions,’’ said Hamilton, speaking ahead of Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit.

‘‘Say there was a time when you didn’t have your lucky boxer shorts on, or something, then everything would go to pot.

‘‘When I talked about having a bubble, I thought I needed that bubble.

‘‘Somehow I like to think I have worked around it. I don’t think I have to have a bubble any more.

‘‘Right now I have a good group of people around me.

The only question mark is whether there are too many or too few. I am on the limit in terms of how many people I have working with me.

‘‘But I feel I have the right people in place – the right manager, the right assistant, the right assistant managers.

‘‘I am also in the right team, with the right girlfriend, and living in the right place, so I feel I have all the pieces of a puzzle coming into place, with more so in the future.’’