What was once an exclusive club has become dramatically more accessible, or as accessible as a sport with £500 tickets can be. The point is, Formula 1 is readily available in your pockets and your living room — it has become a sport for everyone. And everyone is paying attention.
It’s not just the races that have garnered a growing interest. Formula 1 has quickly become named “fashion’s favorite sport.” But that conversation tends to focus on brands and celebs using the paddock as their runway, skipping straight past the walking advertisements lining up on the grid that have just as much influence on wardrobes across the globe as the influencers that live in our phones, because these drivers live in our phones too.
A Shift in Demographics
Labels like Tommy Hilfiger and Richard Mille have had longstanding connections with Formula 1 for years upon years. The drivers themselves hold partnerships with several brands, and they all have one thing in common. The original aim of their involvement in the sport was to appeal to one specific group of fans, the same group that the sport has predominantly belonged to for so long — older, richer, men.
In recent years, the conversation around Formula 1 online has been led by women. If you search up Formula 1 on TikTok — which I do frequently — you’ll be greeted by an enthusiastic and knowledgable community of women creating content about the sport.
This, in part, is owed to the success of the Netflix docuseries Drive To Survive. The show, which launched in 2019, follows the grid behind the scenes, bringing viewers a never-before-seen side of the sport. It was a product of the Liberty Media takeover of the Formula One Group in 2017, which initiated a huge push to further globalize and diversify the fanbase. And it worked.
Female and young fans aren’t new to the sport at all. There have always been girls watching races with their dads and women channeling their inner Sebastian Vettel and reciting the last twenty world champions off the top of their heads. It’s the volume of them entering the space at once that is causing the major shift we see in the marketing and social media presence of the sport, which is in turn changing the way it is viewed by the fans and the fashion world.
McLaren Is Getting it Right
According to the CEO of the Formula One Group, Stefano Domenicali, forty percent of the sport’s viewership is female, which has more than quadrupled since 2017. It’s no surprise that McLaren is capitalizing on these increases, placing collections with brands with which their fans have existing relationships. Their collaboration with Levi’s meshes that classic retro look perfectly with one of the most historically rich teams.
Their collection with Reiss, worn around the paddock and grandstands, pulls from a limited color palette to enhance the iconic papaya with their modern styled pieces. I could walk only a few steps at the Silverstone Grand Prix this year before yet again reciting “I want that Mclaren jacket” to my dad. The Reiss jacket is truly a thing of beauty.
But the motorsport influence has also spread around the high street. Hollister and Abercrombie are bringing the paddock to the regular fan with their racing collections. Inspired by the team’s history as well as their current drivers, the casual streetwear features a number of tees, hoodies, and jumpers.
The Side Hustles
Fashion isn’t only defined by the styles we see others wearing, but what they represent. Formula 1 merchandise is a staple in most fans’ wardrobes; yet isn’t just as simple as a colored t shirt with a name — it’s fashion.
Drivers have capitalized on the merging of the worlds of fashion and sport by launching their own apparel brands. British driver Lando Norris has gone above and beyond for his fans, launching two: LN4 and Quadrant. LN4 incorporates Lando’s signature fluoro — affectionately dubbed highlighter core by his fans — into relaxed streetwear collections. Quadrant, as a brand, merges racing and gaming with apparel. This makes it similar in style to LN4, featuring crew sweatshirts, tees, and hoodies.
Akin to Lando and LN4, fellow 2019 rookie Alex Albon launched his streetwear brand AA23 toward the end of 2023. Alex is forming a solid brand identity, including new collections drawing from classic pieces and his own personal relaxed style. A number of the sweatshirts feature cartoon versions of his pets that often make an appearance on his custom helmet designs.
Their fans and their influence are immense, not dissimilar to other popular fandoms. This recent growth has led to these types of projects becoming not only possible, but in demand — so much so that a number of pieces on each site are currently sold out.
Paving The Way
It’s somewhat of a running joke within the Formula 1 community that Max Verstappen is sewn into his RedBull merch and is rarely seen in anything else — we admire the brand loyalty — but Sir Lewis Hamilton and Zhou Guanyu (with the honorable mention of Lando Norris) have been bringing fashion to the paddock for years.
Since the Interest in the paddock in general has increased, heads have turned to their outfits too. Sir Lewis Hamilton is widely known for his sharp personal style ,which is second only to his performance on track. He’s one of the only drivers to attend the MET Gala. His outfits in the paddock range from brands like Gucci, Balenciaga, and Prada to his own streetwear brand, Plus44.
Although it’s worth noting that the seven-time world champion began his time in the paddock sporting mainly his team’s apparel (there’s hope for Verstappen x Dior yet), his style evolution to a global style icon was preceded by the only other driver to share his greatest on-track achievement. Michael Schumacher — also a seven-time world champion — brought fashion into Formula 1 in the 90s.
Not unlike fellow Ferrari golden boy Charles Leclerc’s recent soiree into the fashion scene, Schumacher infused an air of experimentation into a few of his paddock outfits before donning the iconic red overalls. Where Hamilton’s ensembles, while appearing effortless, no doubt follow intricate planning, Schumacher and Leclerc share their disregard for fashion “rules.” Although they may not always create the most traditionally cohesive looks — in fairness, red is a difficult color to pair with — they always pull them off. And, after all, trends aren’t made by sticking to the norm.
Formula 1 Core
Despite being one of the more reserved drivers, Zhou Guanyu quickly became known for his loud outward expression. He favors pieces that showcase who he is, and, like Hamilton, he has worked with Dior to produce a collection.
Another honorable mention goes to Hamilton’s fellow Brits, George Russell and Lando Norris. Russell embodies an old-money vibe supported by his partnership with Tommy Hilfiger. He’s formed a huge sense of personal style since his first years in Formula 1. Despite hailing from the same side of the country as his teammate Hamilton, they could not be more different.
A recent video by Mercedes had the pair styling each other, showcasing how polar opposite their tastes are. Where Russell turns to classy, European-style button-ups, Hamilton relies on his unique street-style.
When he first entered the paddock in 2019, the third Brit on the grid, Lando Norris, would typically arrive in McLaren colors. However, since the team’s involvement in so many collaborations within the fashion world, Norris has seriously stepped up his game. When he’s not repping his own brands, he’s reaching for brands like Kith, Aimé Leon Dore, and Cherry Los Angeles. The take on streetwear mixes formal and casual pieces with an old-money meets 90s David Beckham. And the fans love it.
The Girlfriend Effect
On top of the drivers’ influence, there’s also a huge platform for the WAGs (Wives and Girlfriends).
While all of the WAGs are undeniably stunning, each with incredible unique style, Alexandra Saint Mleux is a fan favorite. Aside from fashion, her posture alone is trending. The way she carries herself around the paddock has fans reminding themselves to sit up straight. For lack of a better word, she is very demure.
Her sense of style is just as elegant as she is. Commonly, she reaches for affordable brands such as Meshki, Stradivarius, and Zara, combining them with accessories from brands such as Bottega Veneta, Valentino, and Chanel for a touch of luxury. Aside from her influence from the paddock to the fans, her influence can also be seen in her partner. Charles Leclerc has developed his personal style recently. He also favors Kith like Norris but also draws pieces from Zara as well as Dior and APM — you can take the man out of Monaco. It’s speculation, of course, but it’s likely that this is some form of the girlfriend effect (see also Mick Schumacher).
A New Dawn for Formula 1
From the Ferrari bomber jacket that became such a trend (it was impossible to visit a university town or city without encountering at least three different people who would happily discuss how they have a deep connection to Monza) to fans creating their own merch in a real Eras tour-ification of the sport, Formula 1 has truly been thrust into a whole new sphere of pop culture.
