Lewis Hamilton has revealed did not feel "welcome" or "accepted" within Formula 1 when he began his career back in 2007 as a 22-year-old prospect at McLaren.
In his debut season, Hamilton finished runner-up behind Kimi Raikkonen, missing out on the title by a solitary point. The Brit also broke the mould with his love of fashion, tattoos and jewellery, telling Vanity Fair : "I didn't feel like I was welcome.
"I didn't feel like I was accepted. God knows how many of these drivers say, 'This is not what a Formula 1 driver is. That's not how you behave.
"'This is not how you do it. 'Tattoos? No! A Formula 1 driver doesn’t have tattoos! A Formula 1 driver doesn't have a personality - and piercings!'"
Among his tattoos is one on his chest that reads 'Powerful Beyond Measure'. It is a reference to a quote from writer Marianne Williamson and one that really resonates with Hamilton.
The full quote reads: "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us."
Hamilton said: "I read it, and I thought it was one of the greatest sayings ever. We limit ourselves the majority of the time.
"And where it really hit me hard is: we should never have to dim our light in order to make others feel…. If anything, we should shine as bright as we can to liberate others to do the same.
"I live my life by that quote. For so long in my life, I felt like I was dimming my light because I felt uncomfortable.
"Those early years [in the sport], we were just always trying to fit in. My dad's just, 'Don’t talk about that, just blend in.'
"When I was at school, I was dyslexic and struggling like hell and one of the only few black kids in my school, being put in the lowest classes and never given a chance to progress or even helped to progress.
"Teachers were telling me, 'You're never going to be nothing.' I remember being behind the shed, in tears, like, 'I'm not going to be anything.'
"And believing it for a split second. I don't actually hold any grudge against those people, because they fuelled me up."
