Hamilton opens up about depression: 'The pressure, the bullying'
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton is currently the only Formula 1 driver with the most than a 100 wins in the competition. The Briton has seven world champions secured, and will leave his team Mercedes for Ferrari, starting a new adventure with the team. Talking to The Times, the driver from Stevenage opened up about his mental health struggles.
Hamilton could get back to winning ways in the 2024, as he could cross the finish line in first place for the first time since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP at his home Grand Prix in Silverstone. He then went onto win at Spa as well, after George Russell was disqualified. His total now stands at 105 victories in 305 weekends completed.
He has declared he has struggled with mental health throughout his life. "Depression. From a very early age, when I was, like, 13. I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying. I had no one to talk to," he began, as at a young age, he also experienced racism together with bullying.
The now seven-time world champion had a hard time in school, as he was shy and had undiagnosed dyslexia. "I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn’t really helpful. I would like to find someone today."
However, he also underlined that he is now learning about the topic himself, and now he sees the effect it had on him. "You’re learning about things that have been passed down to you from your parents, noticing those patterns, how you react to things, how you can change those. So what might have angered me in the past doesn’t anger me today. I am so much more refined."
On Senna passing away in 1994
At the tragic weekend of the 1994 San Marino Grand Prix 30 years ago, first Rubens Barrichello had a horror crash on the Friday, but luckily, the Brazilian could get out of his car. However, then on Saturday, first Roland Ratzenberger passed away, then a day later, three-time world champion Ayrton Senna had a fatal crash. Senna was Hamilton's idol, and after he could equal the Brazilian's number of pole positions at the 2017 Canadian GP, he was gifted a race worn helmet from his hero's family.
"I was with my dad, we were working on the go-kart. I remember going to the front and crying, bawling my eyes out. I couldn’t cry in front of my dad, he was not that kind of guy," the Briton shared, who was just nine years old when the tragedy happened.
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