"You experience it at school, in the parks, walking through the town": Lewis Hamilton on facing racism while growing up

Lewis Hamilton recently talked about getting racially bullied in school and his hometown. He also shared what his father used to advise him when he faced such situations. Having experienced a tough childhood growing up, Lewis and his father, Anthony Hamilton, tried their best to get into motorsport, especially F1. However, they faced a lot of pushback because of their color.

Hamilton was one of the very few black drivers trying to make it in the sport. Even before starting his racing career, he used to get bullied and was made fun of in schools, kids' parks, etc.

In his interview with the Sunday Times, Hamilton shared how he was unable to escape the bullies who racially abused him. The seven-time world champion added that his parents did not explain what was happening, but his father always told him to endure it as much as possible and show his strength on the track.

“There was no escaping it. You experience it at school, in the parks, walking through town. I didn’t understand it and my parents never spoke to me about it. They never explained what was going on. My dad was just, ‘Keep your head down, hold it in, don’t say anything, just beat them on the track, that’s all you can do.’” Hamilton said.

This lesson of enduring racism and fighting back on the track was extremely fruitful as Lewis Hamilton, against all odds, entered F1 and became one of the most successful drivers in the sport. As of now, he has seven world championships to his name and a total of 105 race wins.

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Lewis Hamilton shares the mental challenges he faced in his formative years and seeking help through therapy

Lewis Hamilton recently shared how his mental health was unstable during his formative years when the young Brit was trying to enter the world of motorsport. He even shared that he saw a therapist years ago, but it did not help him recover.

Speaking to the Sunday Times, Hamilton explained that when he was around 13 years old, he felt immense pressure to climb the motorsport and educational ladder, especially because he was being bullied in both fields.

The Mercedes driver later added that though his past therapy sessions had little effect, he would once again want to seek therapy.

“When I was in my twenties I had some really difficult phases. I mean, I’ve struggled with mental health through my 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,” Hamilton said.

“I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn’t really helpful. I would like to find someone today,” he added.

When it comes to his performance in the 2024 F1 season, Lewis Hamilton sits in sixth place with 174 points after the Singapore GP. He was able to bag two race wins in the UK and Belgium.