Lewis Hamilton is known for his eye-catching looks as much as his Formula One driving expertise.
When he arrives at circuits around the world, he makes style statements via colourful tracksuits and co-ordinated sets. The same goes for glittering red carpet events, where the British racing driver rarely shies away from pops of colour, clashing garments and high-fashion pieces that are fresh from the runway.
He has already been flaunting his style prowess at Yas Marina Circuit ahead of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, as he touched down in the capital for the last race of the 2022 season. On Thursday, he wore a purple floral silk shirt by Versace, which he paired with oversized cargo pants in the same hue.
Ahead of Friday's practice sessions, he was spotted trackside in a laid-back Hawaiian-style shirt from the Tommy Jeans x Martine Rose collection, which he paired with a silver chain and light-wash jeans.
Hamilton mixes it up when it comes to his go-to designers, turning to everyone including Alexander McQueen, Isabel Marant, Valentino, Louis Vuitton, Burberry and Fendi for his stylish buys. He also looks to lesser-known brands, such as Ahluwalia, from Indian-Nigerian designer Priya Ahluwalia. He recently sported a piece by the label to the Bahrain Grand Prix. And he wore the Quebec streetwear brand 3.Paradis to the Saudi Grand Prix in December.
Towards the beginning of his career, he opted for safer black, grey and navy suits, and wore a tuxedo by high street store Topman to his first Met Gala in 2015.
Look back at Hamilton's style evolution in the gallery above
He is also known for blending fashion with activism, wearing Black Lives Matter-emblazoned garments on a regular basis and, in September, he took the opportunity to invite a table of emerging black talents to the 2021 Met Gala.
"I've brought four incredible, young, black talented designers," he said of his guests, "so we've got a great host of people tonight and it's about just highlighting beauty and excellence and talent."
He invited American designers Kenneth Nicholson,Theophilio and Jason Rembert, stylist Law Roach, model Alton Mason, singer Kehlani, and athletes Miles Chamley-Watson and Sha'Carri Richardson. On the night, Hamilton wore a Nicholson design.
Fashion is a passion of Hamilton's, something that he says "takes the weight off" the intensity of Formula One title races.
“I love being able to separate from the sport, and the intensity of this whole season is difficult for everyone that's at the track,” he told F1 media in 2021. “So to be able to have something else, another outlet, that you can focus on helps take the weight off it."
Speaking of appearing at fashion-focused events, he said: “It's a much different world naturally to F1. F1's obviously not focused on that and it's obviously very corporate. There is no fashion, actually, in F1.
“I always felt like it was always a place that it wasn't easy to be yourself. And when I went to a fashion show, when you're in a fashion week for example, you're surrounded by people from all different walks of life, expressing themselves in different ways.
“I love that environment where I'm able to be able to express myself. I now do that on the racetrack. And I feel free to be able to do so.”
