It was one of the biggest and most unlikely talking points of the British sporting summer, a moment that set Gary Lineker and Sir Matthew Pinsent at loggerheads and left Federer playing second fiddle to a fedora as the dust settled on the Wimbledon fortnight. But there will be no repeat of the sartorial solecism that led to Lewis Hamilton being denied entry to the royal box for the men’s singles final at the All England Club, the Formula One world champion has pledged.
Hamilton’s seat among the luminaries of the Lloyd Loom remained unoccupied for the climactic showdown between Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer after he pitched up wearing a floral silk shirt, fedora hat and suede shoes.
The Mercedes driver’s ensemble fell foul of the Wimbledon dress code, which requires a jacket and tie, and in no time an Instagram shot of him standing by a window in the clubhouse, a dark and solitary silhouette against the grass courts below, was being beamed around the world.
Hamilton, though, has been extended another invitation by the All England Club and has promised to dress the part next time around.
“I am excited that I have been invited back again for another year, or I will be invited back,” said Hamilton on his return to competitive action at this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, his first race since Wimbledon. “I’m happy about that and I will make sure that I dress the right way.
“I love Wimbledon. I really, really like the sport. I just went home and watched it on TV. No problem for me, I went and watched it with my dogs.”
Hamilton’s spokesperson dismissed the affair at the time as an “unfortunate misunderstanding”, but opinion quickly became polarised.
As commentators from around the world weighed in, a social media exchange between Lineker and Pinsent encapsulated the prevailing mood. Lineker tweeted that turning away Hamilton for “not wearing a bloody jacket and tie” showed England at “its pompous worst”, while Pinsent retorted: “Disagree. Paperwork is quite clear. Awkward for everyone to have to step in and say ‘I’m sorry sir, but …”
Hamilton, however, was keen to play down the furore. “I see the positives of it,” he said. “There were so many stories written about it, I’m like, ‘Wow, that’s nice’. It was just one of those days, sometimes you get things right and sometimes you get things wrong.”
The double world champion, who spoke eloquently of the dangers inherent in Formula One after the Force India driver Sergio Pérez survived a nasty crash in the first practice session at the Hungaroring on Friday, will seek to extend his 17-point lead over Nico Rosberg this weekend.
