‘I had bananas thrown at me’: Lewis Hamilton details racist abuse suffered at school
independent.co.ukLewis Hamilton said he had bananas thrown at him and was repeatedly called the “n-word” at school.The seven time Formula One world champion, who was born and educated in Stevenage, detailed the racial abuse in the On Purpose podcast, released on Monday.The 38-year-old, who is preparing for his 17th season in F1, said: “For me, school was the most traumatising and most difficult part of my life.“I was already being bullied at the age of six.
At that particular school I was one of three kids of colour and just bigger, stronger, bullying kids were throwing me around a lot of the time.“And the constant jabs, the 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 not knowing where you fit in. That for me was difficult.“In my (secondary) school there were six or seven black kids out of 1,200 kids and three of us were put outside the headmasters’ office all the time.
The headmaster just had it out for us – and particularly me.“I felt the system was up against me and I was swimming against the tide.
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