Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he has suffered from depression throughout his Formula One career from being bullied at school and struggling with the pressures of racing.
Hamilton has spoken previously about the racist abuse and bullying that he experienced at school as a child, but the seven-time world championhas now admitted that he has been battling depression that he first experienced in his teenage years.
“When I was in my 20s, I had some really difficult phases. I mean, I’ve struggled with mental health through my life,” Hamilton said in an interview with the Sunday Times.
“[I’ve had] 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.”
Asked if he has ever seen a therapist, Hamilton replied: “I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn’t really helpful.
Hamilton, who has mixed-race parents, has previously spoken about the treatment he received because of the colour of his skin. His father, Anthony, is of Grenadian descent while his mother, Linda, was born in Birmingham.
“There was no escaping it,” Hamilton added. “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’.”
Following a period of soul searching during the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Hamilton began waking at 5am to meditate before going for a run.
“I would struggle initially to calm my mind,” he said. “But it’s a really great way of getting in touch with myself, my inner feelings, understanding what I can do.”
The 39-year-old sits sixth in the current driver standings with two Grand Prix wins during the 2024 season.
He will move to Ferrari at the end of the campaign after 12 years with Mercedes.
