Lewis Hamilton column: 48 hours in the life of a world champion

Winning my second Formula 1 title in Abu Dhabi on Sunday has definitely not sunk in yet and the last 48 hours have been crazy. So I thought it would be fun to talk you through it.

When I crossed the line, the emotions flowed out - I couldn't control them. It has been six long years since I last won the title and a lot of sacrifice from my family.

So they were the ones I wanted to see when I got out of the car. I rushed over and hugged them all. It was only a few moments, but it was amazing.

You then have to head straight over to the scales to be weighed before speaking to the media. You speak to the written press and then go from TV crew to TV crew in a big pen.

After working so hard in the race, you're sweating and you're drained. Your emotions are all over the place so it's hard to keep control.

Like a whirlwind

We managed to get everyone together for the team photo, which was difficult because there are people pulling you left, right and centre. It's like you're in a whirlwind. The race finished at about 18.30 local time and we didn't get back to the hotel until late.

I had a nice dinner at the hotel with my family and we were sitting there reminiscing about the season. It was the first chance I had to just sit back and soak everything in. By the time we finished eating it was 1am and we then headed to a party afterwards - but I only stayed for half an hour.

I probably didn't get to sleep until 3am. I hadn't really slept the night before, so that hit me hard on Sunday night and it was tough when my alarm went off at 7am.

Normally, I'd hit the snooze button but I had to be up on time because I had a press conference at 9am.

For breakfast, I generally eat the same thing. Nicole asked me if I felt like treating myself to anything different but I said no. My daily breakfast is two poached eggs in the morning with half an avocado and I get to have half a piece of toast.

This year I had to be really light. I had to lose five kilos for this season and then the challenge was to keep that weight down.

I'm allowed porridge - and that's what I had today but on the morning after the race, I had a little bit more than usual - I had three poached eggs, some baked beans and a couple of pieces of toast.

Flying to Manchester

Then it got pretty hardcore with lots of TV interviews in Abu Dhabi, one after the other, and I had to try and explain the whole experience. It wasn't until this morning on BBC Breakfast that I watched the moment I crossed the line on TV.

I caught an early evening flight back to London with Nicole which was great. I watched Guardians of the Galaxy which is a wicked film. I love all of the Marvel comics movies.

We probably didn't get into the apartment in London until 11.30pm. Nicole and I had an Indian takeaway, I had the tikka masala. I had barely fallen asleep when the alarm went off at 4am on Tuesday morning.

I am really looking forward to getting my eight hours sleep when everything calms down - I need that as minimum!

I jumped in the car and headed to Luton to fly to Manchester for a round of interviews at the BBC.

I never like being in a car for too long - especially if I've just come off a long flight. And with the traffic on the M1, I don't want to end up in the car for three or four hours.

Looking ahead

There was no time for breakfast, just straight into interviews, which I've loved doing. Soon it will all calm down and next week, I'll be at the Mercedes factory in Brackley, looking ahead to 2015.

I'll have a seat fitting for the new car and there'll be technical meetings to discuss next year's plans before I go away for my winter break, I will know what my weight limit needs to be when I return.

I've got some cool things planned when I head over to the States next month. I can't wait. It's going to be a really happy time because I get to go snowboarding, I'll have the dogs together and I'll have loads of friends with me.

I'm a pretty good boarder so now I want to try heli-boarding. That's going to be my reward for winning the title.

Pet dog Roscoe has been looked after by pop star girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger while Hamilton was in Abu Dhabi

Goodbye for now

This is my final column for the year. I've really enjoyed doing them and hope that they've given you an insight into my life both on and off the track.

I want to thank you, the fans, for all your support this year. It's been amazing. I really appreciate you following me and I like to think that we win and lose together.

Follow me on Twitter and check out my website if you'd like to follow me over the winter break before the season starts again in Melbourne next March.

Your questions and answers

What was going through your mind on the last lap of the race? James @jaames31

"I remember coming across the line and seeing the board said one lap to go so I just said to myself "keep it up". I remember thinking that I'm nearly there and then coming through the first sector I could see everybody beginning to stand up already out of the corner of my eye.

I said to myself: "keep it cool, you've just got to bring it home." Then coming round the last two corners, I was like 'Oh my God, it's not just a race win, it's the championship!"

How will you celebrate this winter? Dan Enmarch @DanEnmarch

"We've got Thanksgiving coming up, so we'll have a big get together with the family and have some dinner. I didn't stay long at the party after the race because my friends weren't there, but we'll get some parties sorted in December. It's going to be a lot of fun."

What music do you listen to before a race? Sara Hatherly @HatherlySara

"I listen to music before every race. Generally, there will be a song I'll get into over the weekend and I play it all weekend, particularly when I'm getting ready for a race. The Morning from the Weeknd is one I've won races to, so I listen to that a lot.

"There's loads of stuff on my Spotify playlist, such as Backseat Freestyle by Kendrick Lamar, I Miss You from Beyonce and I love Schoolboy Q. There's a song called Studio that I like."

How many packs of Haribo sweets have you eaten since winning the title? Claire Haines @ClaireEHaines

"I'll always love Haribo, but I've not had sweets for a long time. That's not the same for chocolate, though. I love Lindt - always milk chocolate."

Were you happy to see your dogs after getting back from Abu Dhabi? Rosie Armes @rosemaryarmes

"I've not seen them yet. Nicole had Roscoe last week, so he's here but Coco is in LA. I'm going to reunite them when I head out to Colorado in the winter. I can't wait."

Lewis Hamilton was talking to BBC Sport's Lawrence Barretto.

Behind-the-scenes photos from Hamilton's triumph...

Hamilton is congratulated by his girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger

Lewis's father Anthony wished him luck before his Championship-winning race

"Lewis deserved to win the championship," said Nico Rosberg, who finished second after a season-long battle between the two

After a frantic evening with the media, Hamilton was soon jetting back to the UK to visit the BBC studios in Salford