"I was dyslexic and struggling like hell"- Lewis Hamilton opens up about his struggles as 'one of the only few Black kids' in school

Lewis Hamilton's school days were not the best as the Mercedes driver struggled with dyslexia and a rather unwelcoming education system.

Hamilton's recent Vanity Fair interview has seen a lot of revelations, and one of them does open a window into the rather disconcerting situation the Mercedes driver had to tackle in his formative years.

In the interview, the Briton explained how tough things were and how much of a struggle being in school became for him. He said:

“Look, when I was at school, I was dyslexic and struggling like hell, and one of the only few Black kids in my school, being put in the lowest classes and never given a chance to progress or even helped to progress. Teachers were telling me, ‘You’re never going to be nothing.’ I remember being behind the shed, in tears, like, ‘I’m not going to be anything.’ And believing it for a split second.”

Explaining things further, he said:

“It’s the most demotivating thing to hear—especially when you witness them doing the complete opposite with your white counterparts. I don’t actually hold any grudge against those people, because they fueled me up.”

For Lewis Hamilton, racing did come as a sanctuary as he described it as a cloak he wore that made him blend in with everyone. He said:

“Firstly, it’s like having a superpower. I couldn’t be Superman, but that was like your cloak. When I got in the car, I put a helmet on, and I wasn’t seen any different. You can’t see my skin color. You just see me as a driver. And I was able to do things that others weren’t able to do. And it didn’t matter how big the other kids were, I could still beat them.”

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Lewis Hamilton is on an impressive podium streak this season

Lewis Hamilton is enjoying a rich vein of form this season and is racking up an impressive streak of podiums. He has not been off the podium since the 2022 F1 Canadian GP.

The 2022 F1 Hungarian GP was another instance of the Mercedes driver scoring a P2 result for the team. After the race, he said:

“I was struggling at the beginning of the race and wasn’t sure whether I’d be able to catch up so I’m happy I was able to recover from P7. I had a good start, which was crucial and, bit by bit, I felt more comfortable with the balance of the car. The cooler temperatures in qualifying and the race seemed to work well for us.”

“We made a massive step from Friday and I’m very grateful for it. If the DRS had been working yesterday, we could have been in the run for the win. I want to acknowledge my team, who have continued to push and have never given up through this tough year that we’ve had so far.”

The way Lewis Hamilton is performing this season, he might be on his way to scoring a win or two in the second half of the season.