How moto swagger style took pole position

Telegraph

06-07-2025

It was a weekend spent driving around the bucolic Cotswolds in a vintage Morgan – perilously devoid of modern safety features, absolutely delicious to sweep around in – that alighted me to the joys of that golden era of gentleman drivers. It's a phenomenon celebrated to grand effect at Goodwood Revival, where one finds oneself in the kind of vignettes you'd expect in a Julian Fellowes period piece or amongst the well-heeled of West Egg.
The world of F1 is a world apart from this more mannered approach, but seductive nevertheless in terms of its men's style influence. Motor racing has a curious relationship with fashion; anything too posed and considered doesn't fit well, but the icons of F1 have long presented themselves in a certain way to build their image. There is a rock star sense of swagger to moto style that's in keeping with the dynamic, pulsing adrenalin of the race (a world away from yours truly pootling down country lanes in silk scarves etc).
Perhaps there's something in the roaring machismo of the whole affair, and its air of danger, that parlays into the style of some of Formula 1's most legendary figures. It's particularly pertinent at the moment, as rounds of Grand Prix get underway and as Brad Pitt's new F1 film gets set to debut, the actor appearing at a recent Hungarian Grand Prix in sharp aviators and a sage green Sunspel jersey top. There are also a raft of motoring collaborations afoot, as the season revs into action.
Let's start with that bellwether of hifalutin machismo, Steve McQueen in the 1971 adrenalin-fuelled classic Le Mans. Yes, we're talking about an actor playing a character rather than the real deal – more on those guys later – but it's something that's cemented in the public imagination of what F1 style means and McQueen himself was a keen racer, depicting the Le Mans racing supremo Michael Delaney with all the brooding brio you'd expect.
Brands flocked to be included during filming; Tag Heuer supplied four iterations of the striking Monaco watch that the actor wears throughout, inspired as he was by his stunt double Jo Stiffert and the fact that Stiffert's overalls were emblazoned with the watch brand's logo. His Persol sunglasses became ocular icons in their own right; a pair of 714s that are still bestsellers today. Of course, it helps that Steve McQueen looks, well, like Steve McQueen – that sweep of ashy blond hair and ability to wear sleek leathers and look action ready and masculine as opposed to Middle Aged Dad Does Top Gear.
There's a showmanship to F1 that's long suited the world of style; the pit walk doubling as catwalk, particularly now. Stirling Moss back in the 1950s was one of the first to consider his look and create an ensemble as part of his 'brand'; tailored suiting and a penchant for excellent knitwear both on and off the track. The knits are a case in point; all too often it's an item at the more 'sedate' end of the menswear spectrum – chunky cable-knit cardigans that could look fogeyish in the wrong hands – were it not for the fact that Moss wore his while steering a path to racing glory. It was a very British approach, substantial but not as cumbersome as a creaking leather jacket.
Then in the 1970s, just as McQueen was lending his Americanised glamour to the sport, our Caledonian firecracker Jackie Stewart – the 'Flying Scot' – was taking pole position with his very British sense of style, charmingly off the era and a hark back to that era of gentleman racers of the 1920s and 1930s; tweed flat caps, Harrington jackets and certain elements that were also pure Seventies; starry aviator shades and paisley patterned shirts. Add a sweep of Beatles-esque hair down to here and he was a pop star of the circuit.
Gilles Villeneuve followed Stewart in terms of track-side presence; the Canadian would wear sleek, thin-gauge polo necks alongside his sponsorship jackets, while at the other end of the scale James Hunt would swagger on to the circuit in distressed denims and vest tops, Californian surfer-esque hair tousled just so.
And now? Whatever of you think of his career pivots and occasional wrong turns, you've got to hand it to Lewis Hamilton, who coincidentally was the recent co-chair of the Met Gala, anointed by Anna Wintour thanks to his outré style (the theme was a celebration of black dandyism). Hamilton's style is bold, singular, striking and a world apart from the traditionally 'masculine' attire of his peers and forbearers; streetwear, electric colours, kilts on occasion and a dusting of jewellery.
He enjoys dress-up and peacockery; last year while launching a collaboration with Dior Men he told me, 'When I first started out in F1 I felt a lot of pressure to conform but, over the years, I began to feel more comfortable in how I style myself. In my early 20s I had the opportunity to go to a fashion show in Paris for the first time and I was blown away. It really inspired me to start expressing myself fully through fashion.'
That he does, and that he does it during the pageantry of F, is laudable; he's as bold during his pit walks as he is during his front-row appearances. His rather more tame counterpart more recently has been Charles Leclerc, the Monégquase champion who recently collaborated with the Ferrari Style branch of clothing, parlaying his south of France-inflected style – white jeans, crisp denim shirts, white T-shirts, downplayed sweatshirts – into the range.
There are natural ways to lend moto style to your own wardrobe without looking overly Top Gear and try-hard. The Belstaff Trialmaster, for example, may be a little 'Soho Farmhouse' with the price tag to match, but it is the genuine article and built to last; it began life in 1948 as kit for the Scottish Six Day Trial motorcycle race. Ferrari too have ventured into the sartorial qualifiers with its 'Ferrari Style' collection of clothing; it's designed to be less overtly branded than you'd think. Skiwear brand Perfect Moment has recently joined forces with the BWT Alpine Formula One team to create a capsule wardrobe of black run-worthy ski ensembles.
It's easy to slap on some logomania, but it's more artful and stylish to evoke the kind of dynamism and machismo of moto-style in sleek leathers and neat, precise denim than brand yourself like car-mad cattle. Perhaps with a sleek polo neck tucked underneath, or the Steve McQueen Persols that call to mind the man himself without looking like costumery. The guys that did it best perfected a formula (1) of their own.
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