How Lewis Hamilton became F1’s most influential fashion icon

Sir Lewis Hamilton celebrated his 41st birthday last week as he heads into his 20th season in Formula 1 – almost unprecedented longevity. The Briton is a seven-time World Champion, but over the last decade, his sartorial style and influence in the world of fashion has rivalled his legacy in motorsport.

Hamilton continues to explore and evolve his identity through his clothing, describing his relationship with fashion as "like air in your lungs." Just in the past year, the Ferrari driver has achieved some incredible feats, including co-chairing the Met Gala with Colman Domingo, A$AP Rocky, and Pharrell Williams, with a theme he had been developing with ex-Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour for three years.

To mark his latest milestone, let's take a look back at some of Hamilton's most eye-catching eras and looks.

2007-2014: Finding his voice

When Hamilton joined McLaren in 2007, the world of F1 was very different. Driver brands were less common, so showing personality through things such as fashion was atypical – drivers instead were expected to wear team kit over race weekends.

Speaking to Vogue, Hamilton described this period of fashion as 'horrible', admitting that he had to 'break some rules' to bring his own style to F1. In fact, he'd sometimes dress one way at the track, before changing into something more individual in his rental car just to feel more himself.

But this constrained beginning to his personal fashion didn't last long. By 2010, Hamilton had begun to introduce tailored pieces into his wardrobe. Fitted blazers and designer jeans became staples of this era as his style slowly evolved into bold high-end fashion statements.

2015 marked his entrance into the world of high fashion with his first of many invitations to the Met Gala. Appearing with Topshop, Hamilton wore an electric blue three-piece suit to fit the 'China: Through the Looking Glass' theme – a first big step into the fashion industry for the Briton.

2015-2021: The breakthrough era

It wasn't until Hamilton began working with famed stylist Law Roach that his sense of style really came out of the shadows. Law Roach is probably best known for working with Zendaya for the movie Challengers, but his work with Hamilton has been revolutionary. Law and Hamilton experimented with bolder looks, incorporating complex patterns, oversized silhouettes, and statement accessories that played with proportions in ways the F1 paddock had never seen before.

Hamilton’s Met Gala appearances most notably define this era. In 2016, he arrived in a striking blue-patterned Dolce & Gabbana tuxedo. Two years later, for 2018 'Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination' theme, he wore an all-white Tommy Hilfiger suit to capture the theme's ethereal quality. And it was the 2019 'Camp: Notes on Fashion' theme that saw Hamilton fully embrace the event’s playful spirit with a metallic two-piece featuring zig-zag embroidery.

The defining moment of this era came in 2021, when Hamilton wore a custom Kenneth Nicholson ensemble featuring a black suit with a sheer lace train, a powerful tribute to Black designers. But the fashion statement extended beyond his own outfit. Hamilton purchased a table and invited emerging Black designers, including Edvin Thompson, Nicholson, and Jason Rembert, using his platform to create opportunities for underrepresented voices.

Another of Hamilton's notable looks came at the 2024 'The Garden of Time'-themed gala, where he paid homage to Britain's first recorded Black gardener, John Ystumllyn, by wearing an all-black Burberry ensemble. The coat featured thorns along the neckline, representing the pain of the slave trade, with a poem by Black poet Alex Wharton, "The Gardener," embroidered inside.

2024: The Mercedes finale

The 2024 season was to be Hamilton's last with Mercedes, the team who had become his family over the course of 12 years and six World Championships. Going out with a bang, Hamilton pulled off some killer looks throughout the season.

There was a custom Marni pink-and-bone bomber jacket with BigFoot 2.0 sneakers at the Miami Grand Prix, followed by a Gucci Fall 2024 embroidered tank, a blue Dior knit for Monaco, and a crisp Zegna Spring 2024 look paired with white boat shoes from Marsell in Spain.

To mark the end of his time with Mercedes and the highly anticipated move to Ferrari, the seven-time World Champion ended the season with a trio of looks that visually depicted this transition.

For the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix media day, he wore a full white Willy Chavarria look that represented his time with the Silver Arrows. Ahead of qualifying, he arrived at the paddock wearing a Rick Owens jacket with a white-to-red ombre, signaling the change of teams. Then, on race day, he was bathed in Ferrari red, wearing a custom outfit by Kim Jones for Dior.

It’s evident that to Hamilton, fashion is more than looking good – it is a way to pay homage and communicate feelings. Even his former engineer Pete Bonnington got in on the action, wearing one of Hamilton’s more daring looks as a parting gesture!

2025: The Ferrari debut and F1 The Movie premiere

At Mercedes, Hamilton was the star. He had carved his own path and had the confidence and clarity to showcase who he was on his terms. His relationship with Toto Wolff was strong, so he had room to use fashion as a form of expression.

Moving to Ferrari meant Hamilton had to start over with a new team for the first time in over a decade. When Hamilton arrived in Maranello, his first Ferrari photo broke the internet. He posed outside Enzo Ferrari's house alongside a classic Ferrari F40, wearing a three-piece Ferragamo suit. His stance and outfit choices showed respect to the team's history – the weight of the Ferrari legacy firmly on his shoulders.

2025 was also the year F1 The Movie was released, a film that Hamilton had a large part in producing – and it deserved an equally memorable look. For the New York premiere, the 41-year-old wore pieces from the Dior collection that he designed himself.

Hamilton donned team kit frequently last season, but some exciting exceptions included an all-white three-piece Calvin Klein suit styled by Eric McNeal for Monaco, paired with Timberland six-inch boots, juxtaposing classic Riviera charm with streetwear, and a Maison Margiela Canadian Tuxedo for the Canadian Grand Prix.

He wore a heritage-themed Burberry look with a gabardine trench vest and cargo trousers decorated with Union Jack Swarovski crystals for Silverstone, paired with a stunning £1.5 million Richard Mille watch. Finally, Hamilton ended the season in Look 16 from Ferrari Style's Spring/Summer 2026 collection by Rocco Iannone: a sleeveless, structured utility vest with oversized cargo trousers.

Sir Lewis and the Met Gala

Hamilton’s contribution to fashion peaked when he co-chaired the Met Gala for the first time in 2025. The Ferrari driver revealed he was among the first to start talking with Anna Wintour about the 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style’ theme three years earlier.

As someone who is such an advocate for Black creatives, this theme felt especially fitting. Hamilton exceeded expectations by appearing in a custom suit created in collaboration with London-based designer Grace Wales Bonner and styled by McNeal, featuring a cropped ivory jacket, striped tuxedo trousers, and a meticulously embroidered sash.

Lewis Hamilton's legacy

The veteran has inspired a new generation of drivers, including Zhou Guanyu and Pierre Gasly, who have cited Hamilton as opening doors for younger drivers to express themselves. Fashion brand executive Rocco Iannone has even noted that "F1 is the new red carpet."

Hamilton explained that fashion helped him feel more like himself in F1's initially non-diverse environment, noting it gave him confidence to show up in his own gear. What started as an act of rebellion against conformity has transformed into an impressive legacy in the sphere of fashion.