If you thought Formula 1 was just about speed, engineering, and the occasional champagne shower, darling, you haven’t been paying attention. In 2025, the real competition is as fierce on the grid walk as it is on the red carpet. The world’s most exclusive sport has become the ultimate runway, where drivers, WAGs, celebrities, and designers battle for pole position in the style stakes.
This season, the lines between the red carpet and the grid walk have blurred so completely that even Anna Wintour would need a pit stop to catch her breath.
The F1 circus has always had its share of glitz, but this year, the fashion stakes have been turbocharged. With the LVMH partnership in full swing, a new generation of style-savvy drivers, and a global audience dissecting every look on TikTok and Instagram, the grid walk is now as anticipated as the race itself. So, who’s winning? And is the grid walk the new red carpet? Buckle up, because this is the only lap that matters.
The LVMH Effect: When Luxury Brands Take the Wheel
Let’s start with the seismic shift that’s redefined F1’s relationship with fashion: the 10-year LVMH partnership, which debuted with the “Formula 1 Louis Vuitton Australian Grand Prix 2025.” Louis Vuitton trophy trunks, Moët Hennessy podium celebrations, and Tag Heuer timekeeping have become as integral to the F1 experience as tire strategy and DRS zones.
But has the partnership delivered the cultural moment we were promised?
As Kasvi Malik noted in Culture Curve:
If there is one thing about F1 that I follow more closely than the races, it’s what my guy Hamilton is wearing when he walks on to the grid pre-race day. He made his Ferrari debut in one of the most anticipated moments in Formula 1 history and LVMH should have seeded him a killer outfit from Dior, or his own capsule collection as a guest designer of the brand, but instead, he walked out in Jacquemus, Zegna and Bottega Veneta – owned by LVMH’s competitor Kering. Huge (read: yuuuuuge) missed opportunity to generate some organic buzz at the start of the season when all eyes were on Hamilton.
Kasvi Malik, Culture Curve
Still, the partnership has elevated the grid walk to a bona fide fashion event. The LV x F1 logo is everywhere, and the paddock is now a playground for Maisons from Tiffany to Marc Jacobs. The only thing missing? A motorsport-inspired capsule collection from Tiffany’s or a Sephora glam station for the F1 Academy girls. (LVMH, if you’re reading, call me.)
Read more on the LVMH x F1 partnership
Victory Travels in Louis Vuitton. The House proudly presents the official trophy trunk of the Formula 1® #LouisVuitton Australian Grand Prix™ 2025 — the first of many to come across the season. Discover the creation at https://t.co/i6xzEffy9c#AusGP #F1 #Formula1 pic.twitter.com/hi2AG3g32d
Grid Walk: The New Red Carpet
Gone are the days when drivers arrived in sponsor-stacked polos and ill-fitting jeans. Today, the grid walk is a curated spectacle, with drivers and their entourages styled to perfection. Lewis Hamilton, now at Ferrari, remains the undisputed king of grid walk fashion. His partnership with Dior Men has produced looks that are as fearless as his overtakes—tailored suiting, sheer layers, oversized silhouettes, and luxe streetwear.
Hamilton’s Met Gala co-chair moment this year only cemented his status as F1’s fashion icon.
Stylists have played a role in our sport for several years, but typically only around specific studio shoots or individual activations, such as red carpet moments. The creation of this new role [driver styling coordinator] is a bid to both strengthen partnerships with fashion brands, but also establish a sense of continuity and personal style for each driver.
Richard Sanders, Chief Commercial Officer, Mercedes-AMG Petronas
George Russell, at 26, is the poster boy for quiet luxury—think The Row meets Savile Row. Carlos Sainz’s Hackett London campaign is a masterclass in old-money chic, while Zhou Guanyu’s Rick Owens obsession brings a dash of avant-garde to Ferrari’s paddock. Even Yuki Tsunoda, with his Japanese streetwear and oversized hoodies, is a TikTok darling.
Meet the most stylish drivers on the 2025 grid
WAGs, Celebrities, and the VIP Scene
If the drivers are the main event, the WAGs and celebrities are the supporting cast that make the grid walk a true spectacle. The Miami Grand Prix last weekend was a case in point: Kylie Jenner, Hailey Bieber, and Winnie Harlow turned the paddock into a who’s who of fashion royalty.
Dua Lipa, though not in attendance, paid homage from New York in a Gucci racing jacket and $1,090 ballet flats, proving that F1 style transcends geography.
See Dua Lipa’s F1-inspired look
Dua Lipa at Formula 1’s Singapore GP pic.twitter.com/SO5Gs8kFLE
Meanwhile, the WAGs are no longer content to play second fiddle. Kika Gomes (Pierre Gasly’s girlfriend) and Charlotte Siné (Charles Leclerc’s ex, now a style influencer in her own right) are regularly featured in Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar. Their looks—think Alaïa, Jacquemus, and vintage Chanel—are dissected on Instagram before the lights even go out.
Red Carpet vs Grid Walk: The Battle for Style Supremacy
So, which is more influential: the red carpet or the grid walk? In 2025, the answer is both—and neither. The red carpet remains the domain of couture, diamonds, and carefully orchestrated photo ops. But the grid walk is where fashion feels alive, unpredictable, and, crucially, accessible.
It’s where a $3,000 Dior jacket can be paired with vintage Levi’s, and where a WAG’s Bottega Veneta bag is as likely to be seen as a team-issued PUMA sneaker.
The grid walk’s power lies in its immediacy. Social media fan pages track every look in real time, and TikTok “Get Ready With Me” videos from the paddock rack up millions of views. As Luxury London observed, “The global Formula One fanbase has skewed considerably younger and increasingly female in recent years… Brands which see the value of partnering with teams and drivers to promote their clothing ranges. We have shifted our approach to reflect this.”
Formula One’s fashion revolution picks up speed
The City as a Catwalk: Miami, Monaco, and Beyond
Location, darling, is everything. Miami’s Grand Prix is now as much about the parties and poolside photo ops as the race itself. Monaco remains the crown jewel—where the grid walk is a parade of superyachts, couture, and old-money glamour. Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina is the playground of Middle Eastern royalty and European fashion editors.
Each city brings its own flavor, and the fashion follows suit.
In Miami, the vibe is maximalist: neon, mesh, and barely-there dresses. Monaco is all about understated elegance—think Grace Kelly in Hermès. Abu Dhabi is private, luxurious, and veiled in exclusivity. The grid walk adapts, and so do the wardrobes.
The Drivers’ Perspective: Fashion as Branding
For drivers, fashion is no longer an afterthought—it’s a core part of their personal brand. As Pierre Gasly told Elle India, “Fashion is a way for me to express myself off the track. It’s about confidence, individuality, and connecting with fans in a different way.”
Fashion has become ever more important in recent years as not only has the sport grown, but it’s also crossed over into other sports and culture.
Richard Sanders, Chief Commercial Officer, Mercedes-AMG Petronas
Brand partnerships are now as coveted as podiums. George Russell’s IWC ambassadorship, Esteban Ocon’s Bianchet deal, and Fernando Alonso’s Boss campaign are just the tip of the iceberg. Even teams are getting in on the act—Mercedes recently appointed its first-ever “driver styling coordinator” to ensure Russell and Kimi Antonelli are always ahead of the curve.
The Verdict: Who Wins?
In 2025, the grid walk is the new red carpet—but with a twist. It’s less about perfection and more about personality. It’s where fashion meets fandom, where exclusivity meets accessibility, and where the world’s most glamorous sport finally embraces its role as a cultural tastemaker.
So, who wins? We all do. Because whether you’re sipping Moët on a Monaco yacht or watching from your sofa in Sofia, the fashion at F1 is the real showstopper.
This isn’t a real question it’s Sir Lewis Hamilton. The man brought fashion, racial awareness, & black ppl (viewership) to an extremely antiblack sport, all while rocking multiple natural hair styles through his career. He was on the cover of Vogue no other f1 driver comes close. https://t.co/5MCSKPYtBf pic.twitter.com/pdAHK2S4L2
The Online Buzz
- Almost Everything You Need To Know About F1 2025 (YouTube)
- Race Highlights | 2025 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (YouTube)
- Meet the most stylish drivers on the 2025 grid (Elle India)
- Formula One’s fashion revolution picks up speed (Luxury London)
- Dua Lipa Channels Formula 1 in a Gucci Racing Jacket (Marie Claire)
- MH x F1 (Culture Curve)
