GQ: Did the win in Hungary change your life? When you woke up the next morning, did you feel different in any sort of substantive way?
No. But I woke up and had a pair of slippers [next to my bed] that said “Winner” on them. No—that’s not true. That’s not true at all.
Did you sleep with the trophy?
Oh, yeah. Well, I kept it in bed, and then I let it go during the night. But yeah, I did. I think the win brought confidence in the fact that we are working in the right direction. And I think that’s superb, because there’s nothing more rewarding than working hard and seeing that it’s working.
How does it feel to see Formula 1 expand its reach into other cultural spheres? Fashion is obviously a big one. Does it feel like the expectation has changed in terms of how many different things you touch as a public figure?
Yeah. I mean, it’s awesome. It really shows how good the sport is at the moment and how much interest it brings to not only hardcore fans, but to the whole public. I can feel that when I go out for work or when I go to the supermarket at home or something like that, I see people recognizing me, and asking for pictures, and stuff. I think, in general, Netflix has helped. There’s a lot of interest from all the people, and that’s fantastic.
What was it like seeing the Berluti x Alpine collection come together, and getting that window into the high-fashion space?
Yeah, it’s mega. It’s mega because yesterday, they delivered me some clothes before an event we had last night. We took some pictures for social media. It’s such a cool brand, and it really is class. It’s not something that I’m particularly an expert on, but when you dress up sometimes well, and I have for Berluti events, it looks good.
Have you picked up some tips about your own personal style from the experience?
Yeah. When some pros are helping you to dress up, I guess it can’t be better. Next Saturday actually, we are having a… How do you call it? Designer. No. Stylist, stylist. There’s a stylist that’s going to help me dress how I want and all that, so that’s cool.
Does that feel like a natural step for you?
Well, every day that we come to work at the paddock, we are always dressed the same. It always has to be black jeans. Has to be the shoes from the team kit. Has to be the same type of T-shirt every time. So to dress differently and to have the experience of pro people helping you, it’s cool because I had no experience of that before. It opens up possibilities, and you discover stuff, which is cool.
