"But then he decided to go woke": When Jeremy Clarkson discussed why Lewis Hamilton was losing his popularity

British TV personality Jeremy Clarkson once claimed that Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton started to lose his popularity when he decided to become a woke man. The seven-time F1 world champion still remains arguably the most popular driver on the current grid, having amassed a legion of fans over his almost two-decade career.

The 40-year-old also has excellent connections away from the track and is a well-known personality in the music and entertainment world. Apart from his achievements on the race track, he has also collaborated with fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger and recently acted as an executive producer on a Hollywood movie, 'F1,' starring Brad Pitt.

However, there has been a change in Lewis Hamilton's image in the public's eyes over the last couple of years as he has become more distant and less interactive with his fans. In his column for The Sun in 2021, Clarkson narrowed down the reason behind the then-Mercedes star's dwindling popularity and wrote:

"When he first came on to the scene, he was bright and talented and normal - and everyone loved him. But then he decided to go woke and right-on and more politically correct than a student union AGM."

"He talks about how he's now green because he sold his jet and has urged everyone to be vegetarian. All this might work well on social media, but in the real world, where people live, it doesn't work at all," he added.

Clarkson was also critical of Lewis Hamilton's integration within Ferrari earlier in the 2025 season.

When Jeremy Clarkson criticized Lewis Hamilton after his first Ferrari appearance

Jeremy Clarkson previously stated that he believed Lewis Hamilton should have joined the Italian team immediately in the 2025 season instead of joining them in mid-January.

In his column earlier in the year, he gave his unfiltered opinion on his first photo-op and wrote:

"If he’s so keen on that eighth world title, you’d imagine that he’d have arrived at the factory on day one, keen to know the car’s secrets and how he can extract the most from its vast arsenal of racing trickery."

"Instead, he turned up in an SUV in a suit and tie and posed for pictures before talking to fans, under the watchful eye of a video drone, which luckily was there to capture the moment. He doesn’t even commute in a Ferrari road car, choosing instead to use Fiat’s helicopter. What is Lewis now? A driver? Or a superstar?" he added.

Lewis Hamilton's first appearance as a Ferrari driver generated a lot of social media buzz and excited many fans about the partnership. However, the collaboration has not translated into results yet, as the former Mercedes driver has struggled to match his teammate Charles Leclerc on the track.