Lewis Hamilton Opens Up About Being ‘Unhappy’ Because of Archaic F1 Norms

Finding another driver like Lewis Hamilton in motorsports is no easy task—not just because of his skill, but also because of his candid nature. Hamilton has never shied away from speaking his mind and has embraced a wide range of off-track activities, many of which he might never have considered in his younger days. And there’s a good reason for that.

When Hamilton was climbing up the ladder to F1, he faced a lot of discrimination, which naturally affected his psyche. Even when he debuted in F1 with McLaren, the general environment of his team and the sport as a whole was quite restrictive.

Ron Dennis—known for ruling with an iron fist—was in charge of the team, so it’s no surprise he didn’t allow Hamilton to spread his wings off the track. Many, including former engineer Adrian Newey, felt the weight of Dennis’ strict approach, with the McLaren boss even preventing Newey from painting his office as he wished.

Hamilton, however, believes that F1 as a whole was too rigid in its norms, with everyone expected to conform.

“I think I was really kinda told that like when you start racing, creativity was something that had to be sidelined. Something that had to be put to the side, and wasn’t important,” he stated in a recent feature with Ferrari on YouTube.

Unsurprisingly, this did not sit well with Hamilton, who grew increasingly discontent with the way those around him operated. “As I got older, I realized that I was depressing my creativeness and ultimately was leading to unhappiness.”

“Because I have a lot of ideas, a lot of things that I’m interested in,” the 40-year-old added.

Cut to the present day, and Hamilton has embraced his off-track personality, indulging in fashion and design while enjoying music whenever he finds the time.

The seven-time world champion uses fashion as a means to express himself, and often ditches team apparel to wear flashy designer outfits to the track. “I’ve always been into fashion. It’s about experimenting and pushing the boundaries, just like I do on the track,” he once said.

There was a time when people in the paddock mocked his choices. Today, that’s no longer the case. On the contrary, some of his colleagues, like Zhou Guanyu, Yuki Tsunoda, and Charles Leclerc, have been impressed by him. Even though their outfits may not be as bold or unique as Hamilton’s, they no longer hesitate to break the norm instead of strictly sticking to team merchandise.

In the world of music, Hamilton once collaborated with Christina Aguilera under the pseudonym XNDA. He has also ventured into various adventurous sports, proudly calling himself an “adrenaline junkie” away from F1 as well.

A talent on and off the track—Lewis Hamilton truly is.