The World Has Caught F1 Fever – And Fashion Is Taking This Obsession To The Next Level

Naomi Campbell DJ-ing at the Monaco Grand Prix, Jennifer Lopez walking the paddock in a pink leather jumpsuit at the Saudi Arabia race, and Blackpink’s Lisa and Timothée Chalamet spotted visiting the F1 teams at the Miami Grand Prix mean it’s official: the world’s most fashionable people, not to mention a host of luxury brands, have fallen in love with Formula One.

Style and speed are natural bedfellows. ‘Throughout history, there’s been a connection of romance and glamour with speed sports,’ says Mai Ikuzawa, founder of the lifestyle label Team Ikuzawa, and who grew up pit-side as daughter of Japanese racing legend Tetsu Ikuzawa. ‘There is a hero-factor in racing drivers risking their lives in high-speed machines. People romanticise that – it’s hard to find another sport that connects high adrenaline with such luxury and glamour.’

Alongside a range of racing-inspired apparel, Team Ikuzawa has also collaborated with TAG Heuer on a sell-out chronograph. The watchmaker this year became the official timekeeper of F1, as parent company LVMH signed on a 10-year global partnership. Meanwhile, F1 fandom is about to hit fever pitch on 25 June, when the much-anticipated F1: The Movie hits cinemas. Featuring Brad Pitt, Javier Bardem, Damson Idris and Kerry Condon, expect a seat-gripping ride alongside some stellar performances.

As well as the movie bringing the racetrack to a new audience this summer, brands are taking note of the sport anew as the female fanbase reaches a record high. Today’s F1 viewers are more than 40% female, notably thanks to the hit Netflix series Drive To Survive. According to a report by More Than Equal, an organisation that aims to develop the first female F1 world champion, female fans are more likely to be introduced to F1 through lifestyle and social media content, friends and family, while male audiences have engaged with motorsport though live broadcasts.

‘Brands know that women are watching and that they’re big purchase- and decision-makers,’ says Naomi Schiff, a former racing driver turned F1 broadcaster. No wonder the likes of Charlotte Tilbury, Tommy Hilfiger and TAG Heuer have all partnered with the F1 Academy, which seeks to increase female participation in motorsport (and which now has its own Netflix series, too). This is being translated into real products as well: cue the upcoming collaboration between luxury ski wear label Perfect Moment and the BWT Alpine Formula One Team, now available to pre-order. The line of skiwear and base layers, alongside après-ski hoodies, T-shirts and accessories, parlays the two brands’ French roots and passion for racing suits that are ‘built for high speeds and sharp turns,’ says Jane Gottschalk, Perfect Moment co-founder and creative director.

‘F1 has become a global movement, it’s no longer just about the race – but culture, community and the lifestyle that surrounds it,’ she says. Schiff credits Lewis Hamilton with upping the ante. ‘He’s been at the forefront of bringing fashion into the space and allowing people to showcase themselves across their wardrobes,’ Schiff says of the seven-time F1 world champion and co-chair of last month’s Met Gala. ‘Now we have this incredible, almost red carpet of drivers walking into the paddock... it’s had a real trickle-down effect on the community. Everyone wants to show up at the Grand Prix looking their best.’

In the meantime, motorsport remains one of the most exciting things to watch. ‘In a world of social media and AI where glamour and luxury can be fake, the idea of making sportsmen heroes is really relevant,’ says Ikuzawa. ‘F1 drivers are the world’s top athletes and a connection with real, authentic persona and talent? That’s the ultimate luxury.’

Shop: The Best F1 Fashion To Buy Now

Ming Liu is a luxury journalist and author who contributes regularly to the Financial Times, HTSI, New York Times, CNN Style, British Vogue and Vanity Fair among other international titles. A member of the Cultural Council of Switzerland’s Fondation de la Haute Horlogerie (FHH), a non-profit organisation, she is also a contributing editor for Robb Report Monaco and has written several books on watches and jewellery. Ming lives in London with her two very energetic, rambunctious and car-mad boys.