Last Updated on January 17 2025, 8:39 am

Lewis Hamilton may well be the most successful F1 driver of a time and for some even the GOAT, yet his mental toughness at times has been questionable particularly since losing out to Verstappen in the 2021 drivers’ title race.

In an interview with The Times last autumn, Hamilton opened up about his mental health issues which stemmed from his childhood. He was the son of divorced parents, going racing on a tight budget and claimed to experience bullying at school.

Yet Lewis doesn’t speak from a position of wholeness and healing as he reveals to writer Gavanndra Hodge, “I spoke to one woman, years ago, but that wasn’t really helpful. I would like to find someone today.”

 

 

 

Troubled times for Lewis

Hamilton is entering his nineteenth straight season in Formula One, something even Fernando Alonso did not achieve before his break from the sport and the relentless nature of competing at the highest level has often taken its toll in the seven times champion’s life.

During his final year with Mercedes, Lewis looked a shadow of his former self, getting hammered by George Russell in 2024 Grand Prix qualifying 19-5. He also endured his worst end to an F1 campaign as he finished a lowly seventh in the driver standings, with just Sergio Perez from the top four teams below him.

As Lewis heads for Ferrari, the challenge ahead for the British driver is somewhat unknown. Not a natural speaker of different languages, Hamilton will be immersed in Italian only conversations and relay on translation to know what is going on.

Further, Ferrari has its own culture and history and in the days of Enzo the drivers were made to know they were just employees and one small part of the team. Lewis star studded status as a seven times world champion will count for little in Maranello, as the likes of Fangio and Albert Ascari together with Alain Prost and John Surtees look down on the Scuderia’s latest gladiator.

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Physical fitness key to Hamilton

Team boss Fred Vasseur has been making all the right noises over the arrival of Hamilton and given their time together in GP2 before Lewis broke into Formula One, this relationship will the key to whether the former world champion makes a success of his time in Italy, or not.

Yet some F1 observers are uncertain as to whether Lewis move to Ferrari will be a success or failure with 1997 F1 champion, Jacques Villeneuve now questioning Hamilton’s longevity. “It depends if Lewis Hamilton has the same hunger as Fernando Alonso or not,” Villeneuve told Action Network.

“He still wants one championship, and he wants it with Ferrari. So that should be enough to give him the hunger. But if the going gets tough, will he just think, will I be [a fighter and warrior like Alonso or will he think it’s time do something else with my life?

“But physically there’s no issue. He’s super fit, he’s super strong, he can go on another 10 years, there’s no problem there. But it’s all in the head and his desire. It’s always like that with sports. Age is not the issue.”

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Hamilton threatens to walk away from F1

Yet Lewis has endured three long and difficult seasons with Mercedes since the big car design rule changes in 2022. The season before he suffered the ignominy of losing his shot at a record eight world championship as Max Verstappen beat the British driver on the last lap of the last race of the year to claim his first drivers’ championship.

Hamilton then endured his longest winless streak in F1, before scraping home to victory at the 2024 British Grand Prix. However, the once relentless competitor has shown signs of mental weakness in recent times and following qualifying in Monaco last year, he declared he would not beat George Russell on a Saturday again that year.

Following Max Verstappen’s drive of the century in a monsoon swept Interlagos last year,  Lewis appeared completely bemused at his lack of pace and threatened to walk away from the sport.  “If this is the last time that I get to perform, it’s a shame it wasn’t great, but grateful for you,”  he told assembled media.

Having qualified half a second slower than team mate Russell in Qatar just three weeks later, Hamilton appeared confused in the media pen and declared he was just “not fast anymore.” Yet Villeneuve believes Hamilton’s mental resilience will be the defining factor in his time at Ferrari, although it is questionable how much Lewis has left in reserve.

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Passion the key to success

“It’s how [mentally] are you ready to give it all, to do all the training necessary, to go to bed, wake up in the morning and think only about that and focus,” says Villeneuve. “At some point in your life, maybe it loses its importance or its priority. And that’s when you go down. Not because there’s a physical direct effect.

“It is draining but at the same time, it’s what keeps you alive. It’s what drives you. And you realise when you stop it, you realise two months into it, ‘Gosh, this is boring.’

“You need that lifestyle. You need that adrenaline rush that you keep going. If you’re passionate, if it’s something you really love, it’s a drug,” says the 1997 champion driver.

Villeneuve cites the case of Nico Rosberg, who retired as soon as he beat Hamilton to the drivers’ championship. “Take Nico Rosberg, he was happier not racing. That’s just not the same level of passion.”

Whether Hamilton can raise himself for one last hurrah is anybody’s guess and his competitiveness against his team mate early doors will most likely define his time with Formula One’s most iconic team.  Ferrari are reverting to pull-rod front suspension for the first time since 2017 in the belief they have two drivers whose driving styles this will suit well.

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Newey has strong words for Lance Stroll

Adrian Newey, widely regarded as one of the greatest technical minds in the history of Formula One, will begin a new chapter with Aston Martin on 1 March. After leaving Red Bull, where he played a key role in the design of several championship-winning cars, Newey will take up the role of Managing Technical Partner at the Silverstone-based outfit.

Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll has gone to great lengths to secure Newey’s expertise. With ambitions to take the team from midfield challenger to title contender, Stroll believes that Newey’s legendary design skills are the missing piece to unlock Aston Martin’s potential…. READ MORE