Lewis Hamilton Reflects on Overcoming Marginalization in Racing: “No One Like Me To Look Up To”

Lewis Hamilton Reflects on Overcoming Marginalization in Racing: "No One Like Me To Look Up To"

Lewis Hamilton’s fashion instincts are layered with undertones of what he has had to go through as a black athlete dreaming to make it into F1. All his life, and particularly in his junior racing career, the seven-time world champion has had to battle against marginalization and racism. At the unveiling of the 2025 Met Gala recently, he took the opportunity to reflect on the same.

Hamilton is all set to co-chair the 2025 Met Gala which is scheduled to be held on the 5th of May next year. Being an avid fashion enthusiast, the 39-year-old spoke about how fashion and racing became his tools to overcome the gremlins of his youth.

He was quoted (on X (formerly Twitter)) as saying, “My routine was very rigid, and I was the only black kid on the race track, so there was no one really like me to look up to. It wasn’t until later in my career that I found the courage to push beyond the boundaries that I’d been confined to for such a long time.”

Back in 2021, Hamilton provided deserving black designers a place on his Met Gala table. He told Vogue that he viewed the Met Gala as a platform to promote groundbreaking designers and shout the slogan of diversity.

Last year, the #44 driver’s look at the Met Gala was inspired by UK’s first-ever black gardener. Paying homage to John Ystumllyn, Hamilton said, “Through adversity, he really triumphed.”

This year as well, the event — which is hosted traditionally at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City — will see a host of prominent black personalities co-host. Alongside Hamilton expect to see the likes of Pharrell Williams, A$AP Rocky, Colman Domingo, and LeBron James who will be the honorary co-chair.

Post Edited By: Aishwary Gaonkar
Lewis Hamilton

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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