Inside Lewis Hamilton’s NYC visit: US Open, Fashion Week

New Yorkers know that early September is synonymous with New York Fashion Week and the US Open finals, so it’s no surprise Lewis Hamilton, with close ties involved in both, was spotted at some of the hottest tickets in town. While his fellow F1 drivers were enjoying the off-weekend as a relaxing reprieve from a demanding 2024 schedule before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Hamilton spent a whirlwind weekend in New York City, complete with stylish outfits while rubbing shoulders with the likes of Rihanna, Anna Wintour, and Noah Lyles.

The Mercedes driver’s itinerary began with a surprise appearance at the Alaïa show on Friday, held in the rotunda of the Guggenheim Museum on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. He dressed the part of an NYFW attendee wearing a double-breasted black coat with dark shades and a diamond necklace, while watching pal Kendall Jenner traverse the ramp-turned runway. His front row seat put him next to elites like Karlie Kloss, Greta Lee, and a fashionably late Rihanna, who glittered in a custom crystal creation from the French brand.

The next day he continued his string of quintessential New Yorker activities — running errands in Greenwich Village with an iced coffee and laptop in hand. He rocked a pair of loose jeans with a grey knit zip-up and beaded jewelry before changing into a Burberry Pre-Fall 2024 look for the women’s US Open finals. 

There, the seven-time F1 World Champion joined up with the fastest man in the world, Noah Lyles, and Vogue editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour. Seated around the trio was also comedian Tina Fey and “Today” host Al Roker, who were seen chatting while watching Aryna Sabalenka secure her third Grand Slam title.

Hamilton and Wintour have been friends for several years, having spent time together at London Fashion Week, Wimbledon, and even the Met Gala. The athlete most recently attended the Costume Institute benefit in May — his 6th Met Gala appearance — in a custom, all-black Burberry ensemble dedicated to one of the UK’s first Black gardeners, John Ystumllyn.  

“I did a lot of research and I came across this 18th Century gardener who, through slavery times, came across from Africa to Wales and became the first black gardener in Wales,” Hamilton, who is among the few attendees who consistently adhere to the theme on the First Monday in May, told Vogue on the red carpet at the time. 

After a busy couple of days, the incoming Ferrari driver presumably jetted out of the Big Apple on Sunday, as he wasn’t spotted at Tommy Hilfiger’s Spring 2025 New York Fashion Week show. The star-studded event, held on Pete Davidson and Colin Jost’s decommissioned Staten Island Ferry, was attended by George Russell’s influencer girlfriend Carmen Montero Mundt, Mick Schumacher’s model girlfriend Laila Hasanovic, and F1 presenter Lissie Mackintosh.