Written by Sam Knowlton, Roberto Baldea, Sarah McDonald, and Olivia Cordeiro / Edited by Léah Champagne
In 2025, Vogue’s then-Editor-In-Chief Anna Wintour co-hosted the Met Gala with A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, Lewis Hamilton, and Pharrell Williams. While these hosts are all accomplished in their own rights, only one of them is a seven-time Formula 1 World Championship title holder, more than any other driver in the category. Lewis Hamilton is the epitome of the intersection between fashion and motorsports; excelling in both spheres, Hamilton has played a key role in transforming the F1 Paddock from a pit to a runway.
Lewis Hamilton: Mercedes, I mean, Ferrari Driver
Where did it all begin? For Hamilton, at an awards ceremony in 1995. The British racer had his sights set on F1 from early in his childhood, a goal which began to come to fruition when he approached McLaren’s then-CEO, Ron Dennis, for an autograph after having placed first at the British Kart Championship at only ten years old. It was only three years later that young Hamilton signed with the McLaren Driver Development Programme. This program allowed him to hone his driving skills and fully fund his career through junior series such as GP2, Formula Renault, and Formula 3, preparing him for his ultimate F1 debut for McLaren in 2007.
Racing for McLaren-Mercedes since his debut, Hamilton has never stopped making F1 history. As the most decorated F1 driver — he holds over 100 wins, and won six titles between 2014 and 2020 — some view him as the face of F1. However, his popularity is pervasive beyond the racetrack. In 2021, his contribution to motorsport was recognized when he was knighted by the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle. Hamilton is the fourth F1 driver to be knighted, an achievement which places him in a league with Sir Jack Brabham, Sir Stirling Moss, and Sir Jackie Stewart.
Yet, a turn came on February 1, 2024, when it was officially announced that Hamilton would no longer race for Mercedes. Hamilton’s switch to the Ferrari team caused a stir; fans and analysts alike were shocked. Now in his second season with Ferrari, Hamilton fans have grown, or at least partially, accustomed to seeing him in Ferrari-red.
As a racer, Hamilton has continually exceeded expectations. From his young start to his status as the first, and still the only, Black F1 driver, he has carved a new pathway into motorsport. Importantly, this trailblazing doesn’t stop when the race ends; Hamilton’s fashion is widely understood as groundbreaking.
Lewis Hamilton: Beyond the Racesuit
Even before his involvement with the Met Gala, Hamilton was incredibly concerned with fashion—and inspired others on the paddock to do so as well. In an interview with Vogue before the 2021 Met Gala, Hamilton described fashion as “the air in [his] lungs,” a sentiment evident in how he carries himself stylistically. He has turned the paddock into his own runway, treating what he is wearing with as much delicacy as he does the sport itself.
Fashion used to be a mere afterthought in Formula One in the early 2010s; racers were expected to wear nothing beyond their team gear. Hamilton found this monotonous and decided to use the paddock to showcase his personality—the paddock is a place where drivers are constantly photographed, between the garages and the teams’ hospitalities — and he took it as an opportunity to use this attention to his advantage and showcase different designers. This has made him influential in global fashion trends, far beyond the racetrack.
Hamilton’s fashion journey began around 2007, when he was still with McLaren. While he was less public about his affinity for fashion, it was during this period that he realized that fashion gave him confidence. Hamilton admitted to wearing what was deemed socially acceptable on the track, but then would get into a rental car and put on a more quintessentially him outfit after races. Fashion helped consolidate both his identity as a driver and as a person. It was not until 2010 that Hamilton made his love for fashion more public, wearing tailored pieces on the paddock. Fitted blazers and jeans defined this era of Hamilton’s fashion and would later lead to his more expressive and ambitious choices.
In 2015, Hamilton attended his first Met Gala, wearing a custom Topshop look. As co-chair, Hamilton bought seats for underground Black designers — including American designer Kenneth Nicholson, Jamaican designer Edvin Thompson, and costume designer Jason Rembert — showcasing an unwavering commitment to promoting diversity in the spheres in which he operates. It was this year that he began his working relationship with famed celebrity stylist Law Roach, best known for his long-standing relationship with Zendaya. Roach helped Hamilton take his style to new heights—encouraging him to take risks in what he wore both inside and outside of the paddock.
As his style developed, with his suits becoming more shapely and his fabrics more diverse, Hamilton began to be known as ‘The Fashion Guy’ of Formula One. This was fully realized in 2024, during his final year with Mercedes. Over the course of the weekend, his outfits shifted; what began as a full-white outfit on Friday ended in a fully red, custom Dior outfit on Sunday. Thursday’s white look, by American designer Willy Chavarria, was understood as representative of Hamilton’s time with Mercedes; likewise, his red look on Sunday, designed for Dior by Kim Jones, clearly foregrounded his future team’s colour. Hamilton’s pairing of a matching overshirt and monochromatic baggy pants — both from his guest capsule collection — emphasized his personal style while subtly alluding to his future partnership. The genius, however, lies in his second look: a custom Rick Owens jacket. He wore a red overshirt over a ripped white vest, with pants that faded from red to white. A clear transitional outfit, this look signalled a link between his red and white outfits, proving that his transition to Ferrari was more than surface level: it would impact every area of his life, including his fashion.
As a driver, Hamilton is unique, and he uses his clothes to illustrate this. Fashion is a tool: not only does it give Hamilton confidence before races, but it also differentiates him from the other drivers. His clothes are an ode to how much he cares about the sport. However, Hamilton’s ambitious fashion choices are not always well-received, with what he wears being objectively forbidden on the paddock. While this makes him insecure at times, he persisted, and thus catalyzed the phenomenon that is paddock fashion.
Fashion brand executive Rocco Lacconne has said that “F1 is the new red carpet,” with this iconicism almost entirely attributed to Hamilton. His ability to take risks in fashion speaks to his dedication to what he loves, even Formula One. Since his debut of the fitted blazer-jeans combo, rookie drivers have been inspired to take risks on the paddock, showcasing their personal fashion as a reference to who they are.
Moving Forward
Having proven his expertise both on and off the track, the world is waiting to see where Hamilton will go next. For the past year, Hamilton has been an ambassador for Lululemon. While Hamilton contributes to design, Lululemon’s Centre for Social Impact will partner with Hamilton’s foundation, Mission 44, to help integrate movement and mental health practices into education, employment, and empowerment to build a more equitable future.
In addition, Hamilton’s work with Dior continues, centring on Afrofuturism and sustainability. His streetwear pieces are praised for their ability to merge functionality and high fashion, showing promise for future releases.
As for F1, Hamilton’s work for Ferrari continues. As of the Chinese Grand Prix on March 15th, Hamilton was 3rd out of 22 drivers, leaving Ferrari and Hamilton fans alike waiting to see if his legacy will prevail, while fashion spectators eagerly await each new post-race look.
