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“I Was in Such a Dark Place Often”: Lewis Hamilton Opens Up About His Mental Health Amidst Hard Formula 1 Days

Somin Bhattacharjee
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"I Was in Such a Dark Place Often": Lewis Hamilton Opens Up About His Mental Health Amidst Hard Formula 1 Days

Lewis Hamilton is one of the greatest F1 drivers of all time and has achieved just about everything there is to in the sport. Despite that, he works hard every day to become a better driver and he has evolved & changed massively throughout the years.

In an interview with Fox Australia, Hamilton talks about how he picked himself up when he wasn’t performing up to the mark. He says that most of the things he had to deal with, were done in the background. This includes his interaction with his team members and engineers, who play a key role in shaping his success.

Hamilton also reveals how he has learned to deal with losses in a much better way. He says that earlier, when he lost a race, it was impossible to talk to him for days.

“I was in such a dark place,” he said. “Being able to recover. The past is the past. Five minutes ago, I can’t change that.”

Lewis Hamilton on how he changed his approach

Hamilton stated that he started dealing with losses differently. He decided to not dwell on things in the past and instead began focusing on how he could get better in the future. This helped him be in a much better mental space, and

“What I can change is how I move forward,” the seven-time world champion continued. “So that’s something, that was a huge step for me.

Hamilton went on to talk about the ‘physical side of things’. Being an F1 driver who competes at the top level means that one has to be at their physical best in order to succeed. The Stevenage-born driver has sustained this level of physicality for so long that even now, at the age of 38, he is at the top of his game.

Hamilton on how he is able to dictate his engineers now

Hamilton began his F1 journey in 2007 with McLaren. In his first-ever season, he took the sport by storm by challenging for the world title and missing out on it by just a single point. However, the Brit points out that back then, he didn’t understand much about F1 cars.

Now, Hamilton is not at the “mercy” of F1 engineers anymore. Today, Hamilton understands how the mechanics of an F1 car works, which allows him to “dictate” his engineers.

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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