F1 boss called out after branding Lewis Hamilton clothing 'ridiculous'

Former Alpine F1 boss Otmar Szafnauer has been called out for getting it wrong about Lewis Hamilton's track appearances in 2026.

Szafnauer took it upon himself to describe Hamilton's clothing as 'ridiculous' when he enters the paddock, and said that the seven-time world champion poses for photographs in his attire.

Not only was this unnecessary criticism of a man who has a keen interest in fashion and even co-chaired the iconic Met Gala event in 2025, but it also appears to be untrue.

Legendary paddock photographer Kym Illman has taken to his YouTube channel to dispel what he says are the myths put out there by Szafnauer in a recent interview on the High Performance podcast.

Szafnauer had said: "Lewis comes in when all the photographers are there, so he can wear the ridiculous clothing so they can take pictures.

His co-host Jake Humphrey then suggested that the clothing was simply 'out there', to which Szafnauer responded: "It's out there? And that's not ridiculous?"

Former Alpine and Aston Martin boss Szafnauer said all this while appearing on a podcast talking about F1, while wearing a very plain, very boring outfit.

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Illman reveals Hamilton's paddock habits

And now Illman has banged the former team principal to rights, claiming Szafnauer had been talking rubbish about Hamilton posing for photos in front of all the paddock photographers, among whom Illman is a constant presence.

"Otmar Szafnauer recently said that Lewis enters the racetrack when all of the photographers are there so he can wear 'ridiculous clothing' so they can take pictures," Illman said.

"That rarely happens. For a start, he's only worn fashionable gear on 13 of the 44 track days this year, and I should know as I shoot driver arrivals every day.

"I'm there before every driver arrives 90 per cent of the time. On some of those days, he'll even go out of his way to escape the media, like day three at Silverstone this year when he scooted down the back route.

"Other times, he has his security guards block our shots, and sometimes even covers his face or looks away, as is his right.

"Of course, sometimes he does want to be photographed, and in those cases, we lap it up.

"But this year, that would have been no more than five or six of the 44 days."

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