Hamilton: Fashion interest helps ‘take weight off’ intense F1 title fight
Hamilton heads into this weekend’s Turkish Grand Prix leading the world championship by two points from main rival Max Verstappen, with the pair locked in an intense, season-long scrap for title glory.
The seven-time world champion recently attended the Met Gala and was also in Paris for Fashion Week and explained how his love of fashion acts as an outlet from the intense championship battle.
“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,” Hamilton said.
“So to be able to have something else, another outlet, that you can focus on helps take the weight off it.
“So when I come back, it always feels fresh when I come to a GP, because it's not something I've been thinking about every single day.”
pre show @BALENCIAGA pic.twitter.com/lJ5HbpIBCL
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) October 2, 2021
Hamilton says being able to “blow off steam” through interests such as fashion and music enables him to return to the race track in a better place to perform at his best.
“I generally find it relatively easy as I have these other outlets so I’m able to blow off steam in lots of different ways,” he explained.
“The most important thing is always to be able to come back to the racing environment fresh, recovered, positive, so I think I’m able to arrive and just love doing my job.
“So we take it one race at a time, just always trying to elevate, spent plenty of time speaking to the team about how we can advance and improve.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, so I’ve found ways personally, and what works for me won’t work for everyone, but I know what makes me tick, what puts me on course and what can put me off course, and so yeah, I stick to them.”
In recent times, Hamilton has regularly been spotted wearing eye-catching and unique outfits during grand prix weekends when he is not in official team gear.
“It's a much different world naturally to F1,” he added. “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.”
No one out there is doing it like him. pic.twitter.com/oVSrvsaXR8
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) October 7, 2021
Hamilton arrived in the Istanbul paddock for Thursday’s media day wearing a striking blue and black kilt and trousers, as well as a matching Buberry jacket.
And Hamilton hopes his “daring” outfits can help open people’s minds to be more accepting of how people choose to dress and express themselves.
“It's quite daring,” Hamilton said. “I really like what Burberry is doing, and I just love the outfit.
“I go through all these different images online and find things that I like. I did a shoot with GQ a couple years ago with a kilt, and it was one that we specially made with Tommy Hilfiger, which was again just gender neutral.
“Anyone can wear whatever they want. There will be people that don't understand it, but that's okay. Hopefully they'll eventually go through the opening their mind phase and let people be who they want to be.”
