Lando |143|

Last week it was all over the media that I had a panic attack when a fan hugged me out of nowhere and I pushed her away out of pure instinct. I didn't mean to hurt her, I just freak out about being touched suddenly and sometimes I get angry; I've pushed a lot of people away because of it... literally. They made me look bad, and some crazy journalists tried to say I abused my ex-girlfriend and now I'm doing it to fans. It was getting to my head. Because once you get accused of that... your life is pretty much screwed.

I'm outside my hotel, getting ready to go home after another long, grueling weekend of racing. Half the interviews weren't even about racing, they were about those headlines. I had a panic attack in the middle of an interview, and thank goodness Lewis was there. He's like my dad on the grid: He always knows how to calm me down. He knows I'm NOT a bully.

I see a fan approaching and my anxiety starts to rise rapidly. I don't know how I'll react if she hugs me
“Hi… you did a great job this weekend,” she says with a warm smile and keeping her distance. “Is she afraid of me? Is she respectful? Is she worried I’ll hurt her too?”
“Oh… thanks. I did my best.” I say with a small smile back. She looks sweet… “This might sound weird, but… could you give me a hug? I need it so much… I won’t hurt you, I promise.” I say, walking over to her
“Of course, and I know you won’t.” She opens her arms and lets me approach at her pace. I finally reach her and hug her tightly.