Lewis Hamilton is one of the pioneers in Formula 1 when it comes to fighting discrimination and racism – also because he has often experienced it firsthand in the course of his racing career.
Even as a child, the 38-year-old was bullied because of the color of his skin. Hamilton spoke at length about just how traumatic those experiences were for him on this week’s On Purpose podcast with Life Coach Jay Shetty.
“For me, school was probably the most traumatic and difficult part of my life,” admits the Brit. “I was bullied from the age of six. I think I was one of three black kids in that school at the time, and I was often pushed around by bigger, stronger, meaner kids.”
It was regularly insulted and pelted with things like bananas. How naturally the others would have used the N-word, called him half-blood. “I just didn’t know where I belonged. That was difficult for me, and then in history class, there weren’t people of color in the history that they were teaching us. So I was like, ‘Where are the people who look like me? “Hamilton said.
Lewis Hamilton on his teachers: They told me I wasn’t worth anything
He also received no support from the teachers during this time – on the contrary. “Ever since I was young, my teachers told me that I would never get anywhere,” reveals the seven-time Formula 1 world champion. “They wrote these reports that I wasn’t concentrating or that I wasn’t doing well.”
“And I remember the fear of those reports, every year. I was trying so hard to be good, and then these teachers… I don’t know if the teachers out there realize when they’re reading these reports write what’s happening at home. The stress that came with it was difficult,” he recalls.
At that time he suppressed a lot, also towards his family: “I didn’t have the feeling that I could go home and tell my parents that these children were constantly insulting me, that I was being bullied and beaten at school.”
Today, Lewis Hamilton can use the experience positively
“I didn’t want my dad to think I wasn’t strong and when I had to cry I would hold back my tears or find a quiet place. It wasn’t until I started racing that I was able to channel those emotions into my driving .”
Today he is the only dark-skinned racing driver in Formula 1 to campaign for the interests of underrepresented groups, for example with his “Mission 44” foundation.
“I meet kids in schools and I have conversations with families and parents who are going through difficult times. I want to encourage them, ‘It’s okay, I’ve been through this too and look what I’ve achieved, so you can do it too. For it’s so much more rewarding to me than winning a race – so much more.”