Valtteri Bottas says stronger mental health support in F1 helped him open up about his battles
Valtteri Bottas has opened up about his mental health struggles, including a period of depression during his time as Lewis Hamilton's teammate at Mercedes and a past eating disorder, crediting improved mental health support in Formula 1 for his decision to share his story. The Finnish driver published a personal essay titled "Born Crazy" in The Players’ Tribune, aiming to show the human side of elite athletes and encourage openness about mental health. Bottas, now driving for the Cadillac F1 Team, emphasized the importance of recognizing imperfection and learning from personal challenges.
Opening excerpt (first ~120 words) tap to expand
Open this photo in gallery:Cadillac driver Valtteri Bottas, of Finland, poses in his team garage ahead of the Australian Formula One Grand Prix at Albert Park, in Melbourne, Australia last month.Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/The Associated PressShareSave for laterPlease log in to bookmark this story.Log InCreate Free AccountFormula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas believes the support in motorsports for mental health struggles has greatly improved during his career, and that gave him the courage to extensively detail his own personal battles.“The sport has changed a lot, the world has changed a lot,” Bottas said Thursday, a day after he discussed his own struggles in an essay for The Players’ Tribune.“There’s better ways for people to communicate and share their issues, or anything from the past.
…
Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at The Globe and Mail.
Discussion
0 commentsMore from The Globe and Mail
