Lewis Hamilton has been a boundary pusher since he first broke into the sport, becoming the first Black Formula 1 driver and paving the way for drivers to wear something other than just a team kit or suit.
In an interview with Vogue, Hamilton detailed the pushback he received from people around the paddock for dressing in stylish, streetwear-inspired looks that were a dramatic shift from what was expected of a driver.
“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 said in an interview for the Met issue of Vogue Magazine.
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“I was probably in FUBU and Timbs. I remember thinking, Shoot, I’ve really got to fit into this mold. And my dad expected me to fit into that mold too.”
“Sometimes I would dress one way leaving the house, then drive down the road and change into a baggy, swagged-out look. I would go out and have the best night ever, then change back into what I left the house wearing before I came home.”
When @LewisHamilton was growing up outside of London, there were no museums near him, there wasn’t much diversity, and there was certainly no money for clothes. “My family and I spent it all on racing,” the Formula 1 star recalls. https://t.co/fnE4ycne30 pic.twitter.com/dL7FKRQNuu
— Vogue Magazine (@voguemagazine) April 15, 2025
“When I first signed with F1 I was only allowed to wear suits and team kits, and it was horrible. I didn’t feel comfortable, and I didn’t feel like I was able to be myself.”
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“Eventually, I had the courage to push beyond those boundaries and say: ‘Look, I want to turn up to the track in what I want to wear. I’m here now – you can’t get rid of me or change the way I dress.’”
“The pushback was massive, but when the sport saw the impact of my little runway, other drivers started doing the same thing.”
Hamilton cited his skin color as a factor in feeling compelled to meet and even exceed certain expectations; to break the barriers he faced, he needed to be undeniably good, which he ultimately achieved as a seven-time champion.
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“Black men have always had to be more excellent than our white counterparts,” Hamilton said.
“I’ve seen that with my father and with me – we needed to be overachievers.
See you at the Met — pic.twitter.com/CA2U9x5C6c
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 15, 2025
Hamilton is still the only black driver in F1 history, though he has now broken though the glass ceiling so that someone can come after him and believe it is possible to race in the sport.
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