Lando Norris and Lewis Hamilton are from the same country, play in the same sport and love to express themselves with fashion too. Hamilton is undoubtedly known as the fashion icon of the F1 paddock, but no one can dress like him. Despite all the trolling he receives for the outfits he wears, the 40-year-old is not afraid to flaunt the most outlandish clothing. That is what, in essence, separates him from the rest.
That said, Norris seems to have taken a step forward in upping his fashion game, as he was spotted wearing high-end clothing to the Suzuka paddock. As the #4 driver rarely wears simple casual clothing besides his team merchandise in the paddock, this was a novel sight to watch.
Veteran F1 photojournalist Kym Illman picked up on the jeans Norris wore, revealing they are from Chrome Hearts, one of the biggest luxury fashion brands.
“These are exceptionally expensive and I mean crazy money,” Illman said while referring to Norris’ $14k jeans. The Aussie photographer said this is the resale value on a website for the pair of jeans the McLaren driver was wearing.
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Certainly a lot of money for an ordinary individual, but definitely something a top driver like Norris can afford after he became the third-highest earning driver on the grid after his latest contract extension. The Briton now earns $35 million annually [including salary and bonuses] per Planet F1, with only Max Verstappen and Hamilton above him.
Norris endorses brands such as Ralph Lauren Fragrances, Tumi, LVMH and Giorgio Armani. His ability to mix luxury fashion in a motorsport is impressive. In a 2023 interview with Esquire, Norris talked about his love for fashion and especially hoodies.
“I’ve always been a big fan of design and creativity. I know I’m not the most fashionable person, but I’ve always been into fashion and things like it, so I just think this was a great opportunity to try to bring two different worlds together,” Norris said.
“…I’m a hoodie guy so my closet is really just full of hoodies. I don’t know why, but it’s probably because they give me a mix of comfort and wanting to be a little bit incognito at times. Yeah, I normally just wear that. I’m not too fussy with it.”
However, fans were not ready to accept Norris as the ‘new Hamilton‘ on the fashion front. “Nah! Lewis will also be the OG paddock trendsetter,” @tanyajerry commented on Illman’s post. Another user took a jab at the Bristol-born driver’s expensive jeans, stating, “Proof that money can’t buy style”.
“Expensive clothing doesn’t make one a fashion icon…” was the general sentiment about Norris’ jeans among all fans’ comments under Illman’s post.
While Norris undoubtedly has a long way to go before he can reach Hamilton’s level of fashion, the 25-year-old seems one of the very few drivers who seems to be sporting luxurious brands in the paddock. Hamilton, who was previously known as the paddock’s fashion king, is now mostly seen sporting Ferrari gear. “A rarity,” per Illman.
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One possible reason why Hamilton is no longer wearing designer clothing could be that he does not have the same leeway as he had at Mercedes to wear what he liked instead of the team kit. Given that they have a historic legacy to live up to and their sponsorship commitments being quite firm, Ferrari may want him to wear the team kit at all times during race weekends.
Another plausible reason why the seven-time champion is not wearing any of his outfits could be that he is ultra-focused on settling in at Ferrari and wants to do well with them since he has not had the start he would have hoped for.
