Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton has opened up about the psychological battles within F1 describing it as a “rollercoaster ride”.
The seven-time champion made his F1 debut in 2007 with McLaren where he won his first championship title in 2008. Hamilton later moved to Mercedes in 2013 where he won his other six championships.
Speaking on the On Purpose podcast with Jay Shetty, the British driver explained the psychological battles that can be on track with teammates or opponents, and in the garage. Hamilton explained:
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“We have a lot more in common than we think. But we’re so competitive and a lot of us have a defence.
“You want to beat the guy, but you like the guy. You might like the person outside the car, but you can’t show that. There’s this whole psychological battle you’re having with yourself and getting away with yourself a lot of the time.
“There’s this huge psychological and emotional rollercoaster that you’re going through that it will be really hard for people to comprehend.”
The Mercedes driver went on to explain how difficult the post race media is, especially after a race that has maybe not gone the way they wanted. He continued:
“[Unlike] other athletes in other sports, you can’t see because we’ve got a helmet on, but you go through this rollercoaster ride in the race and then you get out and they put the cameras right in your face.
“You’re not prepared for that, your emotions are shot, particularly if you failed or feel like you failed, and you don’t always answer the right way you wear your, your heart on your sleeve.
“People don’t necessarily like that always. People take advantage of that. So then you build up all these protection mechanisms that are not necessarily you at the core, but [they’re] what will be the safest thing for you.”
