Lewis Hamilton is very well-known for using his platform to raise awareness on various social issues. A perfect example of practicing what you preach, Hamilton is a vegan himself – his contribution towards the environment. However, a mistake on behalf of a luxury restaurant left Hamilton in an awkward situation this Monday.
With F1 having no races scheduled for this weekend, Hamilton spent his time participating in the Forbes Iconoclast Summit 2023. He was joined by Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff.
Following the Forbes event, Hamilton visited the Chanel Tribeca Festival Artists Dinner in New York City. The event attracted a plethora of a-listers like actor Robert De Niro, filmmaker Darren Aronofsky, and French photographer JR.
Non-vegan food for Lewis Hamilton?
Chanel and Tribeca collaborate every year to host the annual Artist’s Dinner. The French fashion house gets together the city’s top film and fashion artists for a night of socializing. The event was hosted this year at Balthazar – an iconic French brasserie in the heart of New York City.
However, when pictures of Hamilton’s menu from the night surfaced on the internet, fans realized that the luxury restaurant worth $15,800,000 had ended up making an embarrassing mistake. The items on the menu included food like Steak Frites and East Coast Halibut.
With Hamilton being an outspoken vegan, it is very clear that he would not be having any of that food. Meat and fish are strictly off the list for Hamilton. Even the special Balthazar salad had Ricotta Salata – a type of Italian cheese as one of its ingredients. Being a milk product, cheese is also something that vegans avoid.
Hamilton’s journey into veganism
Hamilton switched over to a plant-based diet back in 2018 and has been following the same ever since. Hamilton had explained to Men’s Health UK that as a child, meat was an essential part of his food. However, after reaching the top of Formula 1, he tried out Veganism in an attempt to boost his energy levels.
Hamilton says that he soon realized how good the plant-based diet was for him. “I wake up feeling way better, clearer in thought, and fresher in my body. I recover quicker, I sleep better,” said Hamilton about the effects that his new diet has on him.
It’s quite clear that it’s not just the ‘taking a stand for the environment’ part that has led to Hamilton adopting a vegan diet. The Briton’s change in diet has had a marked effect on his performance, and thus, he has completely taken up the plant-based diet. It remains unknown if Hamilton managed to eat a bite of food at his recent outing.
