Lewis Hamilton claims it is normal for a person in his position to “buckle a little bit” under the scrutiny he gets for his social media posts.
The off-track lifestyle of the six-time Formula 1 champion has always been one of the reasons for his divisive nature among fans and in recent months, that has included his vocal efforts to increase climate awareness.
Hamilton though doesn’t apologise for being himself and highlighted how he doesn’t let the criticism he gets impact his performance on track.
“Most of the time, I wear my heart on my sleeve, so it was an emotional post, which is not always good to do. It just felt like I was banging my head against the wall and not gaining ground,” he told the BBC referring to when he claimed to be ‘giving up’ on the climate fight last month.
“There is a lot of push-back on a lot of things I do and a lot of questioning of everything I do and say. You live your life under a magnifying glass.
“And the pressure for anyone that’s in the limelight…. we’re only human, so at some stage, you’re going to buckle a little bit.
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“But I always say it’s not how you fall, it’s how you get back up,” he stated. “And I really turned that negativity into a positive and came back and won that next race.
“And you’ll probably see if you look back in the history of the times I’ve often had those difficult phases, I’ve often won the next races. That’s where my strength lies.”
As for how he feels about the constant criticism from others about his life choices though, Hamilton admits it comes with the territory.
“I just understand it’s just the way of life but the fact that is the way it is doesn’t make it any easier,” he said.
“I would say I have a very complex life, I’m sure we all have complex lives but I can’t talk about absolutely how complex it is.
“I am trying to be more open about that, as you’ll see on my social media, but there is a line where it’s the limit and for me personally that one there was slightly over the limit.
“But I don’t regret it because I think for those who are following me and are on this journey with me, I don’t think showing vulnerability is always a bad thing. They can just see I’m human at the end of the day.”