Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has opened up about his mental health issues, revealing he has been battling depression since he was 13 and now wants to see a therapist.
The 39-year-old said he experienced “some really difficult phases” in his life and admitted he had “struggled” with his mental health since he was a teenager, but had finally found solace on and off the race track.
His confessions come just after Hamilton ended an agonizing 945-day winless streak by winning for a record ninth time at Silverstone when he took pole position at the British Grand Prix in July.
Hamilton’s victory marked his first since Saudi Arabia in December 2021, the race that preceded his agony in Abu Dhabi, where Max Verstappen denied him an eighth world crown in one of the most controversial races in motorsport history.
While claiming victory at the British Grand Prix, Hamilton was seen breaking down in tears as he reflected on a rollercoaster ride back to the winner’s circle.
Formula One ace Lewis Hamilton has opened up about his mental health issues, revealing he has been battling depression since he was 13.
Hamilton, who is of mixed heritage, says he experienced bullying and racism as a child, but his father advised him to suppress his emotions.
Those tears were perhaps as much of relief as happiness, having felt for years the “pressure,” he admitted, to maintain the top spot in the sport he loves.
But in a candid interview with The times, Hamilton said he “didn’t have anyone to talk to” about these issues when he was young and was now thinking about finding a therapist.
He said: ‘I spoke to a woman years ago, but that wasn’t much help. I’d like to meet someone today.’
The sports champion added that he has sometimes found it difficult to “calm my mind,” but that meditation, daily early-morning runs, silent retreats and books on mental health have been helpful in clearing any negative thoughts.
He points out some of his problems dating back to his childhood, when he was bullied at school and faced racism as a child of mixed heritage.
His father, Anthony, is of Grenadian descent, while his mother, Carmen, is a white woman from Birmingham.
Thinking he was doing the right thing, Anthony advised young Hamilton to remain silent and not fight back, but Hamilton ended up suppressing his emotions.
He remembers it“There was no way to escape” and he encountered racist attitudes everywhere he went, but his parents never “explained” why.
Hamilton said: “My dad would just tell me, ‘Keep your head down, stay calm, don’t say anything, just beat them on the track, that’s all you can do.’
Anthony had a large presence in Hamilton’s career, becoming his manager and taking care of all elements of his stellar Formula One career, including taking care of his finances.
But in 2010, Hamilton realized that to move forward he needed to strike out on his own, live his life and make his own mistakes, and he fired his father from the position.
His confessions come just after Hamilton ended an agonizing 945-day winless streak after winning for a record ninth time at Silverstone when he took pole position at the British Grand Prix in July.
Hamilton previously spoke about his mental health issues in 2022, after finishing 10th at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
The sports champion said he has sometimes found it difficult to “calm my mind,” but that meditation, daily early-morning runs, silent retreats and books on mental health have been helpful in clearing any negative thoughts. In the photo: Hamilton during the Singapore F1 Grand Prix.
He remembers that moment as a “really hard process,” but necessary.
Hamilton said: “Obviously parents are trying to protect their children, I guess forever, and some don’t want to let them go.” “My dad struggled with that.”
However, today the couple is closer than ever.
When Hamilton won the British Grand Prix, Anthony hugged Anthony for the first time after getting out of his Mercedes and wiped away tears as he took off his helmet.
He later said: ‘I’m still crying. There is no greater feeling than finishing in front here.
‘It’s very difficult for everyone. But what’s important is how you continue to rise and dig deeper even when you feel like you’re at the bottom of the barrel.
“There have definitely been days since 2021 where I didn’t feel like I was good enough or that I would get back to where I am today, but I have had great people around me and supporting me.”
Hamilton previously spoke about his mental health issues in 2022, after finishing 10th at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
At the time, he said he was “struggling mentally and emotionally” and that it was a “constant effort to keep going.”
The Formula One world champion admitted it through a publication on his Instagram.
“It’s been a very tough year with everything that’s happening around us,” the 37-year-old said. ‘Some days it’s hard to stay positive.
‘I have struggled mentally and emotionally for a long time, moving forward is a constant effort but we have to keep fighting. “We have a lot to do and achieve.”
She later added in a second post: “I’m writing to tell you that it’s okay to feel the way you feel, just know that you are not alone and that we will get through this.”
‘A friend reminded me today, you are very powerful and you can do anything you set your mind to. We can do anything we set our minds to.
‘Let’s remember to live in gratitude for one more day for getting up. Sending you love and light.’
Hamilton celebrated with his father, Anthony, and wiped away tears after their long hug, at the British Grand Prix in July.