Met Gala chair, co-producer on a Brad Pitt movie, activist, and now Ferrari driver.
Lewis Hamilton's impact stretches far beyond Formula 1 and his quest to win a record-breaking eighth world title with his new team.
The partnership of F1's biggest celebrity — and only Black driver — with its biggest brand reaches people who don't consider themselves F1 fans, and may not even have watched a race.
A 13-month countdown
In some respects, Hamilton's move is already a marketing triumph. He won't race for Ferrari until next week in Australia, ending 13 months of hype since he announced his decision to leave Mercedes.
“Obviously the commercial success and the success for Ferrari’s brand has been unprecedented,” Michael E. Sawyer, author of an upcoming biography of Hamilton, “Sir Lewis,” told The Associated Press. “It just makes the brand that much more iconic. It’s always been about pushing boundaries."
Expectations are high, too, around Hamilton's potential impact in Italy in terms of representation and creating opportunities for people from diverse backgrounds.
“When it was announced that (Hamilton) was in Ferrari, the industry started thinking, especially in fashion, that things would start changing,” Michelle Francine Ngonmo, the founder of Afro Fashion Week Milano and an advocate for diversity in Italian fashion, told the AP.
Hamilton’s first photos as a Ferrari employee were curated to perfection. His sometimes-playful fashion sense took a traditional turn with a sharp double-breasted suit as he posed in front of company founder Enzo Ferrari’s house.
A fast start, or time to adapt?
Hamilton's celebrity status extended beyond F1 years ago. Where other drivers arrive for a race weekend in branded team gear, he turns up in high fashion.
His friendships with influential fashion figures, involvement with the Met Gala — he's a chair for this year's event in May — and a co-producer role on the upcoming Hollywood movie “F1” all allow Hamilton to reach non-sports audiences in a way other drivers can't.
With so much attention on their new partnership, the 40-year-old Hamilton and Ferrari could risk disappointment if he doesn't win the long-sought-after eighth title.
Hamilton was broadly on pace with rivals and his teammate Charles Leclerc over three days of preseason testing in Bahrain last week. Still, Hamilton said he and Ferrari have "definitely got some work to do to improve.”
Hamilton has indicated he needs time to adapt, but one key rival has argued a successful start will be key to keep Ferrari's passionate fans on board.
“They’ll love him if he’s quick and he delivers and he’ll feed off that energy,” Red Bull team principal Christian Horner said last month. "If it doesn’t get off to a good start, then it’ll inevitably be harder for him.”
Activism and representation
Hamilton has always brought his own perspective to the sport.
His advocacy on racism, police violence, LGBTQ rights and environmental causes has reached audiences around the world, and put the spotlight on human rights in many of the countries where F1 goes racing.
“I’m always fighting for diversity,” Hamilton said Tuesday at Ferrari’s Fiorano test track. “The sport needs to become more and more inclusive. We are working towards that. Obviously it’s very diverse, the audience, from all over the world, but access and opportunity into the actual sport, it’s not easy for people from different backgrounds to get in.”
Hamilton also spent his time at Mercedes working behind the scenes to increase inclusion within the team and promote science and technology careers among children from diverse backgrounds. He said last year he wanted to do the same at Ferrari and that the team was “super excited” to participate. No details have been released yet.
“It would be great for the community here in Italy to actually see these kind of initiatives being implemented, going beyond the words,” Ngonmo said.
The size and potentially long-term nature of Ferrari's commitment to Hamilton is a sign the company "understands without any question the things that he’s concerned about,” said Sawyer, Hamilton’s biographer. “I think Ferrari and Lewis went into this with their eyes open. They know exactly what they’re doing.”
Belonging in Italy
Sawyer, who is associate professor of African American literature and culture at the University of Pittsburgh, said one way to illustrate Hamilton's impact in Italy was in comparison with soccer greats.
The buzz around Hamilton is similar to when Diego Maradona played for Napoli in the 1980s, Sawyer suggested, but also cautioned that Italy hasn't always treated Black athletes warmly, pointing to the racism faced by Italian soccer player Mario Balotelli.
In an interview with Time last month, Hamilton said he's thought about soccer racism in Italy in the context of joining Ferrari. “I’m not going to lie, it definitely crossed my mind when I was thinking about my decision,” he said.
“Like in so many things, it’s often such a small group of people that set that trend for many. I don’t think that it’s going to be a problem.”
One way Hamilton has already endeared himself to Italians is by using Italian words and phrases in interviews, something Ngonmo welcomes.
“I think he is trying to make people understand," she said, "that Italy could be a place where everyone can belong."
___
AP Sports Writer Daniella Matar in Fiorano Modenese, Italy, contributed to this report.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
