A friend recently told me they aren’t a fan of Lewis Hamilton as they think he believes he’s bigger than Formula 1 itself. Today there was further proof that he just might be, as the Ferrari driver brought central London to a standstill by merely making an appearance at a store opening in the UK capital.
Hamilton has appeared at the opening of a new Fanatics flagship store on London’s Regent Street on Friday 25 April. The visit from the seven-time world champion was publicised briefly ahead of the event, with Fanatics sharing that Hamilton would be in the store to cut the ribbon during its grand opening.
This was enough to whip F1 fans into a frenzy, and they quickly descended on central London in order to catch a glimpse of Hamilton. Fans reportedly camped out overnight, with some even claiming to have started queuing up at the new store from 4am ahead of his appearance.
As Hamilton was scheduled to cut the ribbon at 12pm, that left fans with a lot of time waiting on the harsh streets of London. When the Ferrari driver finally did open the store, he was joined by Fanatics founder Michael Rubin at the site, which is affectionately being called the “Home of the Hobby.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Clive Mason – Getty Images
After cutting the ribbon, Hamilton took time to answer questions from fans, revealing that he has a haul of around 400 race-worn helmets collected over his F1 career. It was also announced that Fanatics uses Hamilton’s race-worn suits in some of its collectible cards. The company cuts the suits up into small sections that are fixed into the Dynasty collection of cards, which Fanatics says lets fans “get a piece of the action,” Rubin explained.
The line of people waiting to get inside the Fanatics store, which sells trading cards and other collectible memorabilia, reportedly stretched around the block. Fans in line took to social media to share their excitement ahead of the ribbon cutting ceremony, with many showing up in Ferrari and Mercedes F1 merchandise.
The hordes of fans lining Regent Street demonstrates that despite Hamilton’s struggles so far this year, his star is showing no signs of dulling anytime soon. The British driver remains the most followed F1 driver on Instagram and continues spreading his reach wider than the series itself.
Hamilton will also co-chair this year’s Met Gala event, which will focus on Black style, and his links to other sports, such as the NFL through his investment in the Denver Broncos, is only growing his influence even further.
