Jayden Hamilton is a rising F4 star in the Australian motorsport scene, but behind that is a 17-year-old teenager determined to drive out bullying.
From experiencing a level of online hate as he charged towards open wheel racing, to noticing others were also copping significant amounts of bullying both online and at the race track, his story is one of inspiration.
Hamilton had a short turn around from racing in karting to hopping into cars, which he believes fuelled the hate towards his social media.
“I really only started driving when I was 12-years-old, and then did rental karting until about 15, then got my own go kart, and then that’s the story from there. I did karting for a year and then started driving race cars,” Hamilton shows resilience within his story, which is applaudable for both his age and driving craft status.
“Everyone else started at about the age of 6. So, they’re all still karting, and they see me stepping into a race car. I started copping a lot of hate and almost jealousy from them.”
With karting comes the basis of learning your driving style, perfecting your craft, and enhancing your network as you charge towards success. However, for young Hamilton, this process was significantly more progressive compared to his peers, and the general time spent in grassroots at a young age.
The range of starting in motorsport is vast, from Hamilton’s experience – ranging from 6 to 40, with multiple ways of starting – none of which are right or wrong. The racing community in Australia is filled with passionate rev-heads who love the speed and adrenaline.
In 2024, Hamilton ran a Bully Zero campaign on his Formula Open car, labelled with an orange plate to gain attention and signatures for the cause. When asked how it felt to represent the Bully Zero campaign across the season, he smiled wide and proudly.
“It was actually such an honour; It was really humbling,” Hamilton shared. “It made me feel really warm inside. It’s a hard feeling to describe, but after seeing all the signatures on the front of the car, and even when they started talking about the cause on the live stream as well, it was a very heartwarming moment.”
Bully Zero is a prevention program aimed at reducing and ending bullying in Australia; a goal of ensuring everyone in the country is safe, respected, and empowered. This is something all individuals should experience, however it is not often the case, with bullying something that 72% of young people have endured at some point. This statistic is incredibly alarming, which makes Hamilton’s pairing with Bully Zero much more meaningful.
“We’re not there yet, but together we can make it happen. Ending bullying in Australia requires all hands on deck: it will take ALL OF US.
In our world, everyone feels safe, respected and empowered, to be themselves. Join us and let’s do this!” – Bully Zero initiative.
The Bully Zero team head out to schools and workplaces with the goal of creating both awareness and an abrupt stop to bullying. Their schooling program consists of the supports of teachers, counsellors, social workers, psychologists, neuroscientists, and people with lived experience which in turn creates a stronger front to ending bullying for children and young adults.
In the workplace, their approach is similar with counsellors, psychologists, neuroscientists, and people with lived experience to drive home their points to adults. The mental health crisis in Australia has become something you cannot ignore – especially businesses as they risk a reduced amount of productivity, toxic work environment, and less motivated employees.
Hamilton is a trend-setter when it comes to defeating bullying in Australia, showcasing that bullying doesn’t define you or stop you from going after your dreams, all while encouraging others with the same or similar experience with bullying.
Tayla Talks 
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