Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton has opened up about battling racial abuse when he was still a student in Stevenage.
In a On Purpose podcast interview with Jay Shetty, the seven-time Formula One champion shared how he was picked on at school as a person of colour.
“For me, school was probably the most traumatising and the most difficult part of my life. I was already being bullied at the age of six,” he shared.
“I think at that time, I was probably one of three kids of colour in that particular school, and bigger, stronger bullying kids would throw me around all the time.
“The constant jabs, the things that are either thrown at you like bananas or people that would use the N-word just so relaxed, people calling you half-cast and just not knowing where you fit in, that for me was difficult.”
However, despite the trauma and bullying that he endured, Hamilton has embraced the experience, saying the segregation made him stronger.
“I was put in all the lowest sets at school. So, I really felt that the system was up against me, and I was swimming against the tide. But I am so grateful for that journey because that is what has built me to be the person I am today.”
Hamilton runs out of contract with Mercedes at the end of the 2023 season, and Mercedes chief Toto Wolff is hopeful that the 38-year-old will sign a new deal.
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