LEWIS HAMILTON has opened up about living with ADHD.
The seven-time world champion, 41, was speaking ahead of F1’s season opener in Melbourne this weekend.
Ahead of the new season, the 22 drivers appeared in a video released by F1’s official YouTube channel in which they were asked to reveal a surprising fact fans might not know about them.
Hamilton responded by saying that he has ADHD, a neurodevelopmental condition with symptoms including hyperactivity and concentration difficulties.
He said: “I’m ADHD. When I walk into a room in my house, I’m really moving all the books into a perfect position.
“And it really frustrates the life out of me when I see something off, like my lamp is tilted to the left.
“I walk into my house and I go around the whole house before I even sit down, rearranging everything
“And then an hour’s gone by and I’m like: ‘Damn it, I didn’t even realise!’”
He has said in a previous interview: “I’ve had some really bad experiences in the kitchen,
“It’s been a disaster in the past for me. I’m ADHD, so if I do cook something — say a pasta dish — I’ll make it, but then I’ll have to clean everything I used before I eat it.”
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The behaviour patterns described by Hamilton are also similar to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety-related condition.
People with OCD suffer from uncontrollable recurring thoughts and behaviours that they feel driven to repeat to reduce stress.
Former footballer, David Beckham is among the most famous names to struggle with OCD, with his symptoms are of a similar nature to those outlined by Hamilton.
In an interview with ITV in 2006, Beckham said of his condition: “I’ve got this obsessive-compulsive disorder where I have to have everything in a straight line or everything has to be in pairs.
“I’ll put my Pepsi cans in the fridge and if there’s one too many then I’ll put it in another cupboard somewhere… everything has to be perfect.”
