From the moment Lewis Hamilton strode through the gates at Ferrari’s historic Maranello campus outside Modena, Italy, he became the star of his own Italian opera. The hero, the greatest driver Formula One has ever known,

It is race week ahead of the Miami Grand Prix as the 2025 season jolts back into gear. The stakes have been ramped up heading into round six of the campaign, with Oscar Piastri, Lando Norris, and Max Verstappen locked into an intense title battle.

Hamilton has, in recent years, attracted attention upon arriving in the F1 paddock with his own choice of bold attire, bucking the trend of drivers arriving in team-branded gear. Now, the sport’s only black driver has described how the stale world of mid-2000s F1 reacted to his initial clothing choices.