Lewis Hamilton asked to leave Wimbledon

Formula One driver and reigning World Champion Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain and Mercedes AMG Petronas was looking to attend the Roger Federer-Novak Djokovic singles final on Centre Court at Wimbledon yesterday, but was asked to leave the court.

Hamilton posted to popular social media platform Instagram before setting out, showing followers his invites:

Hamilton’s invite to the Royal Box, with a guide book seen at the back

Wimbledon is known for its strict dress codes – men are expected to wear a suit, jacket, tie and formal shoes to all matches. Hamilton was not clad in formal wear, and was turned away by ushers at the venue. There is a shop within the premises of Wimbledon adjacent to Centre Court where attendees may purchase appropriate clothing, but it appears Hamilton declined to do this, leaving the venue instead.

Spokespersons for both Hamilton and Wimbledon made statements about the incident yesterday. Hamilton’s spokesman acknowledged he had been asked to leave due to his attire, saying “Due to an unfortunate misunderstanding regarding dress code at Wimbledon, Lewis is very disappointed to have missed the men’s final.”

The official Wimbledon statement, in contrast, was not as explicit. The spokesman said: “If he was not adequately dressed, you could infer that he would not have been let in, but we do not comment on our guests. If he came without a jacket, tie or shoes, he would have had two choices – not staying, or going to get some extra stuff.”

Hamilton later posted this photo of himself, simply captioning it ‘Wimbledon’. The driver won the recently concluded British Grand Prix and looks set to take the drivers’ championships again.