Natalie Pinkham Heaps Praises at Lewis Hamilton for ‘Speaking up About His Mental Health’

Lewis Hamilton does not shy away from speaking his mind, but he got that luxury late into his F1 career after he became successful. In his early days, the seven-time world champion had to battle with his inner demons, something he never shared with his peers at the time. Now that he has spoken up, he has also earned the plaudits from several entities in the F1 community, including Sky Sports’ Natalie Pinkham.

“Kudos to Lewis Hamilton for speaking up about his mental health,” Pinkham wrote on an Instagram story.

Hamilton spoke to The Sunday Times about suffering from depression when he was just 13 years old. “I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying.” 

Because he was mostly the only black driver on any racing circuit he went to, Hamilton had to deal with a lot of discrimination from a young age. For someone as young as he was at the time, dealing with it was too overwhelming, and Hamilton had no one to talk to either.

Hamilton added that he never considered speaking to a therapist, except for ‘one time’. Now, at the age of 39, having already achieved everything there is to in F1, he would love to start a dialogue with one.

Hamilton wants a different society for the next generation

Hamilton uses his platform in F1 to voice concerns about issues that affect society, and that includes racism. But Hamilton isn’t just complaining. He is actively working hard to create more opportunities for people from other less-represented backgrounds.

With the launch of the Hamilton Commission in 2021, the seven-time world champion made sure to lay out the roadmap for black people to find more jobs in F1.

Even outside the sport, Hamilton, who loves fashion, takes time out to promote rising stars from the industry who are black.