Formula 1’s evolution of embracing Lewis Hamilton, in his own words

Lewis Hamilton started his Formula 1 career at a stern-faced McLaren where personality was basically poison. In the ensuing 18 years, feelings have changed dramatically and we see now the Hamilton that stands up for his beliefs and lets his flair shine through in everything from his helmet designs to the clothes he wears around the F1 paddock.

It’s something the the seven-time world champion has opened up about Formula 1 accepting his love for fashion in a new profile in Vogue in which Hamilton personally speaks candidly about his early attempts to fit in with his fellow racers.

“Just before I got to Formula 1, I remember being looked up and down by a boss, and he definitely wasn’t impressed with what I was wearing,” Hamilton says. “I remember thinking, ‘Shoot, I’ve really got to fit into this mold’.”

Fitting that mold sometimes meant dressing one way to leave the house and changing in his car into “a baggy, swagged-out look.” Right before he returned home, Hamilton would quickly change back into the outfit he was wearing when he first left, the Ferrari driver explains. 

The constraints on Hamilton’s creativity tightened when he joined McLaren for his first F1 season back in 2007. At the team, which was then helmed by the iron fist of Ron Dennis, Hamilton’s wardrobe was limited to a fire suit, team kit or a suit, which he says was “horrible.”

“I didn’t feel comfortable, and I didn’t feel like I was able to be myself,” he added.

As the race wins mounted and Hamilton changed teams to Mercedes, more of his personality began seeping into the paddock. But making that change from team kit to high fashion took “courage,” Hamilton says, as he realized that F1 couldn’t “get rid of me or change the way I dress.”

“The pushback was massive,” he adds. “But when the sport saw the impact of my little runway, other drivers started doing the same thing.”

More than 100 race wins later and Hamilton proudly lets his flare for fashion shine on every grand prix weekend. It’s reached the point where there is now entire fan communities dedicated to unpicking Hamilton’s paddock looks, and the British racer has watched other drivers begin following his lead.

Last year, Hamilton had competition for the best dressed award from China’s Zhou Guanyu and now his team-mate Charles Leclerc is also putting thought into his outfits. What’s that they say about imitation being the highest form of flattery?