Lewis Hamilton has revealed that he’s pleased to see more drivers be themselves, by wearing whatever they want.
For several years, the Mercedes driver was the only person in the paddock who wore bold and unique outfits; however, that has changed over the last couple of years.
The likes of Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo have both worn unique designs in recent times, especially the 23-year-old Briton who has his own LN4 clothing line.
As well as that, Norris often wears branded Quadrant clothing, the other company he founded.
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Norris is, therefore, often wearing bucket hats and brightly coloured clothing in the paddock, with wearing whatever you want seemingly being more acceptable in the sport nowadays.
This wasn’t always the case, as many used to look at Hamilton and ponder why he was wearing such bold designs.
“From my experience, the sport wasn’t necessarily open to the rest of the world”, Hamilton told GQ magazine at the Dutch GP.
In regard to clothing and being yourself, the sport has opened up massively, with Hamilton noting that he’s not criticised anymore on what he wears.
This used to be a big problem according to the 103-time race winner; however, he thinks it’s “really cool” to see other drivers “really blossom” and wear whatever they want.
“Some of the crossovers I’ve been able to do have started to bring in new audiences,” said Hamilton.
“Everyone in general has started to be more and more open-minded and now no one comments on what I wear. It’s just like, that’s what Lewis does. But at the beginning, jeez, people definitely criticised. [Formula One] was an environment where you couldn’t really be yourself. Now you’re starting to see people really blossom, which is really cool.”
Wearing what he wants as also been a huge boost for Hamilton’s self-confidence, as has speaking up for what he believes in.
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Hamilton often speaks up for various campaigns and communities on his various social platforms, something he’s discovered is a great place for “communicating” rather than “to seek validation”.
“It is one of the most important things in terms of aiding self-confidence,” Hamilton admitted.
“We live in such a judgemental society, right? And particularly with social media. It’s a place where people go to seek validation.
“I’ve really had to go through a process to pull myself away from it and realise that it’s actually a tool for communicating.”