November marks Men’s Health Awareness Month, an opportunity to raise awareness of men’s physical and mental health and encourage more open conversations about wellbeing. Former racing driver Danny Watts shares his personal experience of the mental health challenges he faced after retiring from motorsport, and how he found a new purpose in supporting others.
At the peak of his racing career, Danny Watts was having a blast. The former British Formula Renault champion and F3 race winner had found his place in endurance racing and was leading his class at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Then he retired from racing…and without any warning, his world suddenly came tumbling down around him.
“When my father and I started in karting in 1993, we did it for fun. It was a weekend hobby, just to get me out the house and do something different. I never intended to kind of make a career out of it, but when that snowballed, the one thing that always stayed the same, all the way through, was that it’s only ever been for fun.
The goal was obviously to try to get
“The goal was obviously to try to get to Formula One, but due to lack of talent, I guess, and a lack of funding, it was never going to happen. I got to a reasonably high level in the World Endurance Championship, coming up through the ranks – but then it came to a point, in 2017, at the Le Mans 24 Hour, where we were competing in LMP2 and my mind changed.
“I’ll never forget the feeling. Two o’clock in the morning, pitch black, doing nearly 200 mph, four times a lap along the Mulsanne Strait – and I remember that feeling of ‘you know what, I’m not enjoying this anymore.’
“My mental capacity was starting to overload with too much information. Everything seemed a lot faster and a lot busier for my brain to comprehend – and that turned out to be my final race ever.
I had no regrets. I stopped
“I had no regrets. I stopped at the right time – but it was after that where I fell into a bit of a hole. Being at home, having time to myself, I really missed the discipline, preparation and organisation of working in team environment, being busy and traveling. I went from a massive high to being lonely, on my own, not having a purpose in life.
“That’s where I took a downward spiral with depression, anxiety. I turned to alcohol as my go-to and that ended up being an addiction and, ultimately, my rock bottom. I felt alone and I had nowhere to turn to for help.
“I eventually went to a rehabilitation centre – and it was the best thing that ever happened to me. Whilst I was there, my father called me and told me he had cancer. That was really my kick up the ass to sort myself out – and I did.
Whilst I was in rehab, I learned
“Whilst I was in rehab, I learned a lot about how the brain works, the psychology side of why you make the decisions you do, and I came out with new vigour, new purpose, new intent and new things to work on with myself.
“I came out of rehab and did a three-year Open University degree in Psychology with Counselling and I thought, right, I want help other people who are in the sport that has given me so much, who might be in the same situation as I was or experiencing something similar, or who might experience that in the future.
“Now, not only have I got the education, perhaps more importantly I have the lived, personal experience of going through things and being rock bottom. I would not want to wish that on anyone.
People can talk about my two wins
People can talk about my two wins at Le Mans, all my other race wins in all the different categories, but that means next to nothing to me now. It’s now almost five and a half years of complete sobriety – and that in itself, is my biggest achievement.”
Danny now leads the BRDC’s Mental Health and Wellness Project, drawing on his personal experience and training to support others facing mental health challenges within motorsport.
His story highlights the importance of speaking openly about mental health, recognising when support is needed and looking out for one another, both during a motorsport career and beyond.
If Danny’s story resonates with you, or you would like support with your mental health or the transition away from competition, please contact [SUPPORT CONTACT].
