The most stylish drivers in Formula 1

FORMULA 1 RACING HAS officially ascended to world-breaking status. Doubling its global viewership since 2018 and attracting legions of new fans, the competition has never had more eyes on it than right now. And thanks to shows like Drive To Survive, the drama and personal storylines driving the action on the track has become public knowledge, meaning that the 20 drivers that make up the F1 grid have become household names and genuine A-listers.

As we know all too well, a celebrity’s value as a product often rivals their value as a person. Famous figures essentially act as billboards with the ability to market everything they wear and do to a vast audience. Typically, it doesn’t take long for them to capitalise on this, as signature apparel and lifestyle brands have become a signifier that a person has attained a decent fandom and that their name is able to be commodified.

F1 drivers are not immune to the allure of earning a little extra cash on the side through the endless commercial opportunities conferred by their fame. While every racer on the grid already has an official team apparel line, many are launching their own brands and dressing to enhance their stylish reputations.

But it hasn’t always been this way. Throughout F1’s storied history, drivers have preferred to let their driving do the talking. Of course, there have been a few exceptions to the rule who have fostered the connection between racing and style. Ayrton Senna loved his clubmaster sunglasses nearly as much as he loved winning. Gilles Villeneuve brought the turtleneck to the mainstream. While Sir Jackie Stewart’s iconic matching tartan hat and pants and accompanying Rolexes became synonymous with the man himself.

These men were outliers though. For the most part, drivers would show up on race day in a plain T-shirt and baggy pants, or already kitted out in their gaudy racing overalls. This is no longer the case, although there are a few holdouts from the old guard. Most of the current grid recognise their styling potential and have responded by routinely donning modern, cultivated and occasionally experimental fits that have made them fashion icons.

As F1 continues to play an increasingly important role in driving menswear trends, we’re taking a look at the most stylish drivers on the grid. We promise this isn’t just an ingratiating appraisal of Lewis Hamilton’s fashion sense, as there are now plenty of other drivers worthy of being labelled as stylish – although, you can see all of Hamilton’s best fits here. The demographic overwhelmingly skews young in this space, indicating that the future of F1 is well and truly fashionable.

Who are the most stylish F1 drivers?

Zhou Guanyu

Zhou Guanyu is playing a crucial role in two F1 revolutions. As the sport’s first ever Chinese driver, he’s at least partially responsible for F1’s expansion into a colossal untapped market. And as an astute dresser, he’s also leading the trackside fashion charge. Guanyu is an ambassador for Lululemon, but he’s shown time and again that he’s an admirer of everything Rick Owens. And even before Guanyu was promoted to F1, he’d already attracted a large online following thanks to his keen eye for streetwear.

Lando Norris

Unlike the other drivers of his generation, Lando Norris previously showed very little interest in his own styling habits. Earlier in his career, the Englishman preferred to wear his team’s branded attire on race day, but he’s since undergone a makeover. Last year, Norris launched his own apparel and lifestyle brand, Quadrant. Shortly after, the driver’s wardrobe was visibly upgraded. Norris prefers a casual look – as proven by his brand, which mainly designs hoodies and other sweats – but he’s also shown he’s capable of ramping up the class from time to time.

Alex Albon

London-born Thai driver Alex Albon is the latest member of the F1 roster to launch his own apparel line, Alex Albon Athletics. So far, the brand’s only drop was a limited-edition pair of sneakers, but Albon plans to expand into a larger range of everyday clothes and streetwear. “When you build a brand, you have to see people’s appetite for it,” he said last year.

Daniel Ricciardo

From the moment Daniel Ricciardo first stepped onto an F1 circuit, he brought a relaxed, larrikin-istic, don’t take yourself too seriously attitude that the sport had been lacking. It tracks then that the Aussie would approach his wardrobe with a similar sentiment. Ricciardo frequently opts for vibrant colours and bold patterns on looks that would work as well as resort wear to be worn by the pool as they do in the often-sanctimonious world of F1. He’s also a fashion media darling, appearing in a number of photoshoots. But none so memorable as the time he appeared in Vanity Fair dressed head to toe in a pink satin suit.

George Russell

George Russell is 26 years old, but he has the fashion sense of a far more experienced, cultured man – it must be all the travelling he does on the F1’s global tour. Russell wouldn’t be caught dead in something casual. Classy trench coats, understated button-ups and sophisticated jackets are the staples of his wardrobe. And an upscale pullover is as casual as he’ll go, as his frequent Instagram fit checks show us. We can’t fault the approach, given that Russell is yet to put a foot wrong in the styling game. Both on and off the grid, he has a bright future ahead of him.

Pierre Gasly

To this point, most of the drivers on this list have been included primarily for their commitments to looking good, rather than their genuine interest in fashion. Pierre Gasly, however, is a man with an eye on all the latest developments. Gasly frequently attends runway shows and fashion weeks – and sits in the front row, in case you thought he was only feigning interest. “Fashion is one of my major interests outside of Formula One. It is a world in which I learn more every day,” he said in 2022. Back when he was still racing for AlphaTauri, the team expanded its fashion label offshoot and saw Gasly as the ideal collaborator. That partnership bore fruit, with the release of a collection of sweaters and knitwear.

Charles Leclerc

Charles Leclerc launched his own brand early in his career. In 2019, during his first season with Ferrari and only his second in F1, the Monegasque driver announced the premier of CLACE, his signature line of eco-friendly clothing that didn’t use plastic-based materials. Unfortunately for Leclerc, CLACE failed to take off, but he’s remained a sharp dresser ever since. Leclerc and Ferrari are a fitting partnership, as the Prancing Horse is the only F1 team that has its own runway show, and their lead driver is one of the most stylish members of the F1 roster.

Lewis Hamilton

Come on, we were never going to get through a list of F1’s most stylish drivers without mentioning the architect of F1 fashion himself. The rapid evolution of F1 driver style can largely be attributed to Lewis Hamilton, the indisputable face of the sport’s fashion side. Fashion is more than just a hobby for Hamilton, when he’s not driving, he’s fronting campaigns for Valentino, Tommy Hilfiger and Puma, making appearances at various fashion shows, or running his own fashion label, +44. If there is ever an F1 driver that surpasses Hamilton’s styling expertise, it will be because Hamilton laid the groundwork for drivers to express themselves through what they wear.