Mercedes to suffer unexpected Hamilton loss
Mercedes to suffer unexpected Hamilton loss
The life of an elite athlete is a pure dream, right? Let's take Lewis Hamilton in Formula 1. Chasing glory at the front, millions of fans cheering you on, earning money you could never realistically spend as it drops into your bank account.
Sure, talented rivals might stop you from becoming the very best in the world at times, but the adventure of trying and the lifestyle that comes with it render it all more than worthwhile, because you simply never have to face the difficulty that ‘normal’ people do in their workaday existences.
F1 HEADLINES: Verstappen PUNISHMENT verdict delivered as FIA make huge announcement
READ MORE: Ricciardo set for fresh OFFER as Aussie emerges as shock 2025 target
Except that is not strictly true. Fans, journalists and spectators may often perceive athletes as high-performance robots who live lives of such blissful luxury that nothing could ever truly challenge them on a real human level, but even at the very top, pitfalls like pressure, rejection, failure, social media abuse and grief can cut deep.
Megastars may be bestowed with more privilege than most of us could ever conceive of. Still, that level of wealth, fame and power does not render them impervious to pain, as demonstrated by seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton who, in an interview with The Sunday Times, revealed he has struggled with mental health at different points throughout his life.
“When I was in my twenties I had some really difficult phases,” Hamilton revealed. “I mean, I’ve struggled with mental health through my life.”
“Depression. From a very early age, when I was, like, 13. I think it was the pressure of the racing and struggling at school. The bullying. I had no one to talk to.”
READ MORE: F1 Driver Salaries: How much do Hamilton, Verstappen and co earn?
Why is Hamilton’s vulnerability a strength?
Hamilton added that he had tried therapy at one point, but found it “wasn’t really helpful”, and explained that meditating and taking long runs in the morning provide him with a peaceful space in which to think clearly nowadays.
These particular mental health history details had not been discussed by Hamilton before, but the tone with which he handled the topic is typical of his approach to communication.
The longer he has spent in F1, the more the 39-year-old has made the active choice to contend with sociopolitical issues like racism, homophobia, and climate change in public forums, whether it be as a special guest speaker at bespoke events or while drenched in sweat in post-race media pen interviews.
READ MORE: Hamilton dealt shock snub as F1 DREAM TEAM revealed
He has teamed that with a willingness to demonstrate his own emotional vulnerability, openly talking about the impact of all manner of issues in his life, from the racism he faced in his early years in F1, to losing the world championship under highly controversial circumstances in 2021, and the way that his relationships with his close family members have evolved over time.
Hamilton is given a greater platform to discuss whatever is on his mind than most other athletes thanks to his immense sporting success and mainstream level of celebrity, of course. After all, the broadsheet newspapers and lifestyle magazines that spend months if not years chasing sit-down interviews with him would have pretty much zero interest in doing the same with any other driver on the F1 grid.
But that doesn’t mean that opening up as a top-level figure in sport - where strength, consistency and indefatigability are musts and vulnerability is seen as a potentially fatal weakness – is anything approaching easy. In fact, it demonstrates a level of honest, positive leadership that is otherwise lacking elsewhere in F1 and at the top of other major sports.
READ MORE: Who is Angela Cullen? Confidante and rock for F1 icon Lewis Hamilton
Why is Lewis Hamilton’s leadership important?
Hamilton is widely considered the greatest F1 driver of all time, and the statistics back that argument up. But his real, substantial impact on F1 can be measured far better by considering how he has used his communication skills to push motorsport in a more progressive direction.
Initiatives including F1’s pledge to go carbon neutral by 2030 and Mercedes’ commitment to raise the proportion of their workforce who come from black and minority ethnic backgrounds would quite simply not have happened had Hamilton not used his platform to communicate effectively and emotionally about the social issues he feels F1 should lead on.
READ MORE: Hamilton Ferrari debut CONFIRMED after huge FIA announcement
His leadership goes far beyond that shown by other key figures at the top of motorsport, including the likes of FIA president Mohammed Ben Sulayem, whom Hamilton recently called out for using “stereotypical” language with a “racial element” when the head of F1's governing body compared swearing F1 drivers to “rappers”.
READ MORE: Adrian Newey's wife hits back at Hamilton 'DISRESPECT'
By the time Hamilton retires, he may well have won an eighth world championship, inarguably rendering him the most successful racer ever.
But it will be the leadership he has undertaken on social issues, and the emotional vulnerability he has chosen to demonstrate from one of the most powerful platforms in the world, that will have made the real substantial impact on people and causes around the world.
In this regard, his off-the-track projects - which in the past have been used as a weapon of weakness against him due to not being 100 per cent F1 focused - look like being a huge gain for Ferrari and an unexpected big loss for Mercedes as he switches to the Scuderia ahead of the 2025 season.
“What might have angered me in the past doesn’t anger me today,” Hamilton added in the Sunday Times interview. “I am so much more refined.”
That refinement is clear to see – the 39-year-old Hamilton of 2024 is a very different man to the 22-year-old who entered F1 in 2007.
But what fans should always remember is that Hamilton has not just refined himself, but F1 as a whole. There is, then, real power in being able and willing to communicate so honestly.
READ MORE: F1 Race Engineers: The stars of team radio with Hamilton, Verstappen and co
Related
Change your timezone:
Latest News
F1 News Today: Verstappen PUNISHMENT verdict delivered as Perez branded Red Bull problem
- 8 minutes ago
Parliament consider SHOCK F1 public holiday
- 2 hours ago
Mercedes to suffer unexpected Hamilton loss
- 3 hours ago
Andretti F1 bid boosted as MAJOR development revealed
- Today 11:57
Red Bull chief BLAMES Perez in scathing verdict
- Today 10:57
F1 announce NEW CAR to arrive ahead of 2025
- Today 09:57
- 1
F1 Race Calendar 2024
-
GP CHINA
19 - 21 Apr
Max Verstappen
-
GP USA
3 - 5 May
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
17 - 19 May
Max Verstappen
-
GP MONACO
24 - 26 May
Charles Leclerc
-
GP CANADA
7 - 9 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP SPAIN
21 - 23 Jun
Max Verstappen
-
GP AUSTRIA
28 - 30 Jun
George Russell
-
GP GREAT BRITAIN
5 - 7 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP HUNGARY
19 - 21 Jul
Oscar Piastri
-
GP BELGIUM
26 - 28 Jul
Lewis Hamilton
-
GP NETHERLANDS
23 - 25 Aug
Lando Norris
-
GP ITALY
30 Aug - 1 Sep
Charles Leclerc
-
GP AZERBAIJAN
13 - 15 Sep
Oscar Piastri
-
GP SINGAPORE
20 - 22 Sep
Lando Norris
- GP USA 18 - 20 Oct
- GP MEXICO 25 - 27 Oct
- GP BRAZIL 1 - 3 Nov
- GP USA 22 - 24 Nov
- GP QATAR 29 Nov - 1 Dec
- GP ABU DHABI 6 - 8 Dec
Related news
Hamilton THREAT declared in stunning Ferrari verdict
Ricciardo set for SHOCK 2025 offer as Wolff admits Hamilton replacement error - GPFans F1 Recap
Hamilton dealt shock snub as F1 DREAM TEAM revealed
F1 News Today: Hamilton health reveal sparks EMOTIONAL response as team announce champion's driver replacement
F1 Standings
Drivers
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Franco Alejandro Colapinto
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Oliver Bearman
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- AWS Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
About GPFans
GPFans is a multi-platform, multi-language brand dedicated to Formula One coverage. We bring you all the ins and outs of the sport, 24/7, everything from up-to-the-minute news and features to the latest viral stories and clips.We believe that a new generation of exciting, outspoken drivers will make F1 more popular than ever before, and we want to give our users access to as much of their heroes as possible, on and off the track. From Lewis Hamilton to Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo to Sebastian Vettel, we provide in-depth analysis of every every Grand Prix in the season, from Australia to Abu Dhabi.
With Formula One under the new ownership of Liberty Media, how the sport is being covered is evolving, and GPFans will look to be at the heart of this progression into new media, as one of the fastest-growing sites covering the king of motorsports.
Follow us on your favorite social media channel
Corporate & Media
Innovatieweg 20C7007 CD, Doetinchem, Netherlands
+31645516860