Lewis Hamilton Says He Struggled with Depression from 'Very Early' in Life: 'Had No One to Talk to'

Mar. 15, 2025

Lewis Hamilton at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on May 6, 2024 in New York City.Photo:Taylor Hill/Getty

Taylor Hill/Getty

Lewis Hamiltonis reflecting on his experiences with mental health over the years and how he feels he’s now “so much more refined” when it comes to understanding his emotions at 39.

The decorated Formula One driver revealed in a new interview withThe Sunday Times, published on Sept. 28, that he had “some really difficult phases” in his twenties and has faced mental health concerns “through my life.”

As Hamilton explained, he specifically encountered depression “from an early age,” beginning around when he was 13.

“I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying," he said. “I had no one to talk to.”

“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,” he said. “So what might have angered me in the past doesn’t anger me today. I am so much more refined.”

Lewis Hamilton in Silverstone, England on July 18, 2021.LARS BARON/POOL/AFP via Getty

LARS BARON/POOL/AFP via Getty

It’s been a busy year of change for Hamilton, who back in February announced that he would beparting waysfrom the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team after 11 years with the team to join Scuderia Ferrari in 2025 on a “multi-year contract.” The change takes place after the conclusion of the 2024 F1 season, which wraps in December with the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. His first race with Ferrari will take place in Melbourne in March 2025.

“It’s been a rollercoaster of emotions from the moment I signed the contract —telling my boss, that was terrifying,” Hamilton toldThe Times. “But it is so exciting because I remember as a kid watching Michael [Schumacher]. Every driver watches that car and you’re like, ‘What would it be like to sit in the red cockpit?’ ”

He added at the time that he trusted his “gut and [his] heart” to make the right decision. “I mean, the opportunity just popped up and I was like, ‘OK, I’ve got to think for a second,’ ” he said. “I didn’t have a lot of time to think and I had to just go with my gut feeling and I decided to take the opportunity.”

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Beyond the world of F1, in his latest interview withThe Times, Hamilton spoke about the prospect of some day raising a family, noting that he’d like to “one day.”

“I wouldn’t be able to do what I do to the level that I do it today with that,” he said. “One of my best friends has just had a kid and I’m seeing how manic it is. And my nieces and nephew are a handful. There will be a time and a place for it, and I can’t wait for that part. But right now I have some work to do.”

If you or someone you know needs mental health help, text “STRENGTH” to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

source: people.com