Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton claimed that during the infamous George Floyd incident in 2020, he was on his ‘knees in tears’ and could not control his emotional outburst.

The incident took place during the pandemic in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, after a policeman shot dead the 46-year-old on the streets.

The incident rattled the public across the world and was a catalyst in starting the ‘Black Lives Matter’ movement, which enabled people to raise their voices against racism.

The seven-time world champion was at the forefront of the movement in F1 as he made several public appeals during that time.

However speaking with the Sunday Times, Lewis Hamilton opened up about the impact of the George Floyd situation on his personal life. He said:

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“The cork popped. It had me on my knees in tears, all this emotion came out. It was such a strange experience because I don’t remember crying since I was really young. I knew that I’d had enough, I really needed to speak out.”
“There are people who are staying silent, people who feel voiceless and I have this platform. Winning championships is an amazing thing, but what are you doing with it? What are you doing with your time on this planet?”
F1 also supported Hamilton with the ‘We Race as One’ campaign which has continued to the day as they have publicly stated their stand against racism in racing.

The interview also delved deep into several other topics such as the 39-year-old speaking about his depression in the early years.

Lewis Hamilton opens up about his fight with depression
The Mercedes driver stated that he had struggled with mental health throughout his life and saw ‘some really difficult phases in life’. In his interview, the 105-time race winner related his mental health to the bullying he faced in his childhood, saying via PlanetF1:

“When I was in my twenties I had some really difficult phases. 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 racing and struggling at school. The bullying. I had no one to talk to. I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn’t really helpful. I would like to find someone today.”
However, the seven-time world champion admitted that he had grown in his life. Things that angered him previously, don’t anymore as he believed that he was more refined.

The ‘refined’ Lewis Hamilton has arguably been one of the most influential drivers in F1 history as he has brought several big brands like Tommy Hilfiger to the sport and opened the doors of the entertainment world to the sport.

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Edited by Hitesh Nigam