Apart from his numerous achievements on the track, Lewis Hamilton has been a pioneer beyond it as well. There is no doubt that the Brit is one of the most fashionable men on the grid and he showcases it as well. Before Hamilton, all drivers entered the track wearing their team colors. However, Hamilton stepped away from the norm and started the trend of unofficial paddock walks, which for him was a form of self-expression. Now, years later, the Brit is inspiring and enabling the next generation of drivers to express themselves as well.

The Brit’s sense of fashion accumulates huge praise, even from other drivers like Charles Leclerc. However, that was not the case initially. The Brit faced criticism for putting greater emphasis on his fashion than his racing, especially when he was struggling on track. The Brit continued to do as he pleased and cut out the background noise.

This endearing persistence of Hamilton is now enabling the next generation of drivers to express themselves freely. Alfa Romeo driver Zhou Guanyu is the latest byproduct of the paddock walks. The Chinese driver entered the Australian GP track in a co-ord set ahead of the practice. The Chinese driver shared the photos on his various social media platforms including Twitter. The fans flooded the post with appreciation and compliments for Guanyu’s style.

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Apart from the compliments, fans were reveling in the fact the paddock walk tradition will live on even after the Mercedes man retires.

Fans celebrate Zhou Guanyu, the prodigal son of Lewis Hamilton

Apart from sporting the look, the Chinese driver looked comfortable in his approach to this weekend’s paddock walk as well. Moreover, the appreciation he has gotten for his approach will surely incentivize him to make it a norm. At least, the fans hope so.

Some fans even labeled Guanyu as the “prodigal son”. Not Leclerc, not Lando Norris, but it’s Guanyu that the fans are entrusting to keep the tradition alive.

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Hamilton paved the way for Guanyu to walk on and the Twitterati expressed their relief at the fact that the paddock walk tradition will live on. There is hope!