It is a well-known fact that former McLaren boss Ron Dennis played a huge role in Lewis Hamilton’s successes. The British businessman was the one who first identified Hamilton as a promising talent when the young driver from Stevenage was still competing in karting.
Dennis then signed Hamilton to his junior drivers’ programme at McLaren before offering him his first contract in F1 in 2007. Since Dennis played such a huge role in helping Hamilton achieve his childhood dream, the British driver has often praised the former McLaren CEO for the same.
“I got a text from Ron, and I just want to send my love, and thank you for spotting me when I was 10 years old and believing in me,” Hamilton said per Sky Sports after winning his sixth F1 championship with Mercedes in 2019. While Hamilton has always been grateful to Dennis, it is not to say that they saw eye to eye on everything.
He was never a fan of Dennis’ strict fashion policy. Being someone who likes to express himself the way he wants, the former McLaren driver never enjoyed wearing suits and the team kit all the time.
“When I first signed with F1, I was only allowed to wear suits and team kits, and it was horrible. I didn’t feel comfortable, and I didn’t feel like I was able to be myself,” the 40-year-old revealed in a recent interview with Vogue.
While Hamilton didn’t namedrop Dennis, past instances cited in the former McLaren’s boss’ biography do reflect how he was a stickler for being presentable. The engineers and mechanics had to wear the kits they were given by the Woking team at all times, be it at the factory or in the paddock.
Given Dennis was from a business background, professionalism in clothing is something he gave paramount importance to. So, it makes sense that he would’ve been the one to keep a strict check on what Hamilton wore.
See you at the Met — pic.twitter.com/CA2U9x5C6c
— Lewis Hamilton (@LewisHamilton) April 15, 2025
What further made things difficult for Hamilton at McLaren was that his father, Anthony Hamilton, also wanted his son to dress up as his bosses desired. “My dad expected me to fit into that mold,” the current Ferrari driver recalled.
Since Hamilton was not able to dress as he pleased, it was affecting him mentally. So, one day, he got the “courage to push those boundaries,” despite knowing that the “pushback” would be huge.
And it was exactly as he anticipated, as several people in the F1 paddock ridiculed him for what he wore. People did not stop mocking him until some drivers saw him as an inspiration and “started doing the same thing”.
Alpine’s Pierre Gasly has often credited Hamilton for being the pioneer when it comes to drivers being able to freely express themselves in the way they like. And it is not just Gasly who enjoys dressing up. So do many other drivers, such as Hamilton’s current teammate, Charles Leclerc, and even youngsters like Zhou Guanyu and Yuki Tsunoda.
Hamilton gave this interview ahead of this year’s Met Gala, which he will have the privilege to co-chair alongside LeBron James and Pharrell Williams. Given that fashion is an industry he loves to work in, this is a golden opportunity for him.
