>LONDON, Nov 10, 2007 (AFP) - British Formula One star Lewis Hamilton has admitted he is moving to Switzerland to avoid the taxman.
Hamilton, 22, had claimed his decision to quit his home in England was due to the intense interest in his private life that has accompanied his meteoric rise during his rookie season with McLaren.
But, speaking on ITV1 chat show Parkinson, he conceded that the tax issue was a major factor in the move.
Presenter Michael Parkinson asked him: "Well, you say you are going to avoid the photographers and all that, but I will imagine that you have been advised to do so because of the tax also?"
Hamilton replied: "Also, that definitely adds to it."
Stevenage-born Hamilton, who finished as runner-up to Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen in the Formula One drivers' championship, maintained that he also wants to escape media attention.
"I am just a normal person and it's quite an unreal experience. I have come from nowhere and been leapfrogged into being this superstar, and it's a really, really weird experience," he said.
"It was just the other night I went to my book signing with my dad and we drove home, got out of the car and got ambushed almost by some people that followed us all the way home.
"You sort of worry for a second, what do they want, and that's becoming more and more usual.
"I love my fans, I've got so many fans in the UK and all around the world, and it really makes a huge difference when I get home and I find I have all these letters.
"But I really want to live a normal life if I can, away from things and away from the race track. I just felt it was another way for me to do that.
"Also I'm going to learn French, that's something I've always wanted to do."
Elsewhere in the interview, Hamilton told how he was targeted by school bullies because he was so good at sport.
"I was smaller than the others and I was never afraid to speak my mind and when they were selecting football teams I was always one of the hardest players and one of the better ones.
"People didn't really like that and so I occasionally got picked on."
Hamilton revealed that he learned karate in order to be able to fight back if he was pushed around.
He said: "I wanted to feel stronger and feel I wasn't going to be pushed over by anyone, to stand my own ground.
"It came in good use actually, when I was karting, when I had some sort of spiteful fights with people and I was able to defend myself.
"I was a bit like Bruce Lee. I didn't have to hurt anyone, I could just move out of the way and let them fall over my leg or that sort of thing. I thought it was pretty neat."
