Hamilton opens up on childhood racist abuse: ‘Bananas were thrown at me’

Hamilton remains the only black driver to have competed in F1 since its inception in 1950.

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Throughout his illustrious career, Hamilton has spoken about the discrimination he’s faced, even during his time in F1. 

Hamilton’s own experiences has meant he’s set up his own projects, such as the Mission 44 Foundation, a charitable organisation focused on supporting unrepresentative groups in the United Kingdom.

Speaking on On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast Hamilton admitted he couldn’t talk to his parents about the bullying he endured during his childhood.

“I didn’t feel I could go home and talk to my parents,” Hamilton said, “I didn’t want my dad to think I was not strong. 

“I was already being bullied at the age of six. I think at the time of that particular school, I was probably one of three kids of colour, and just bigger and stronger bullying kids were throwing me around a lot of the time.

“And then the constant jabs, things that are either thrown at you like bananas, or people that would use the n-word just so relaxed. People calling you half-caste and you know, just really not knowing where you fit in. 

“That, for me, was difficult. When you then go into like history class and everything you learn in history, there are no pictures of people of colour in the history that they were teaching us. So, I was thinking, Oh, well, where are the people that look like me?”

It wasn’t just the fellow students that Hamilton had a tough time dealing with, with the Mercedes driver talking about the lack of support from the teaching staff.

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“Teachers were telling me, ‘You’re never going to be nothing,’” he added. “I remember being behind the shed, in tears, like, ‘I’m not going to be anything.’ And believing it for a split second.”