F1 Driver Sunglasses
F1 drivers may be famous for racing the world’s fastest cars around the world’s greatest racing circuits, but in between sessions they can often be seen wearing some pretty cool sunglasses from some of the best designer brands on the market. Here we take a look at some of the best F1 driver sunglasses money can buy.
What Sunglasses do F1 Drivers Wear?
Formula One drivers used to pretty much wear whatever sunglasses they liked. Usually, whatever they owned from their personal sunglasses collection. These days Formula One is big business, the world is watching and with increased coverage, driver access and many drivers having huge social media accounts, marketing opportunities are better than ever for designer sunglasses brands.
Today, many F1 drivers don’t really have a choice which sunglasses brand they wear during race meetings. Sponsorship deals have already been signed with the teams, which dictate the brand of sunglasses the drivers can wear within the team. Drivers may be contracted to wear the specific eyewear brand of the team, but they can sometimes choose from a selection of frames to wear.
F1 Team Sunglasses Deals
Some of the most well-known F1 team sponsorship deals with sunglasses brands include Ray-Ban with Ferrari, Police with Mercedes, Carrera with Alfa Romeo, SunGod with McLaren and Dita Eyewear with Red Bull. Meanwhile, the Alpine F1 Team have actually created their own brand of Alpine Eyewear prescription glasses and sunglasses.
To see a complete list of all F1 eyewear and Team partnerships, see our table below.
F1 Driver Sunglasses Collaborations
Some F1 drivers have a special collaboration or sponsorship deal with sunglasses brands. This may allow them to wear the brand during race weekends, particularly if the team doesn’t have a sponsorship deal of its own.
Sometimes these collaborations allow the driver to put their name to a frame or even a collection of sunglasses and assist with design choices. Most famously, collaborations like this exist with the Police X Lewis Hamilton Collection, Pierre Gasly X Hawkers Collection or Lando Norris and Daniel Ricciardo getting their own version of McLaren SunGod sunglasses.
Fernando Alonso however, has taken this to the next level by creating his own fashion brand “Kimoa” and can often be seen wearing his own branding of clothing and sunglasses around the F1 paddock.
Which Sunglasses Brands Sponsor Which F1 Team?
If you’re looking to see which F1 team is sponsored by which brand of sunglasses, we’ve compiled this helpful table.
| Formula One Team | Sunglasses Brand |
| Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team | Police Eyewear |
| Oracle Red Bull Racing | Dita |
| Ferrari | Ray-Ban |
| McLaren | SunGod |
| Alpine | Alpine Eyewear |
| AlphaTauri | TBD |
| Aston Martin | Oakley |
| Williams Racing | TBD |
| Alfa Romeo Racing | Carrera Eyewear |
| Haas F1 Team | Maui Jim |
Do F1 Drivers Wear Sunglasses?
Anyone who drives a car knows that one of the most essential accessories is a good pair of driving sunglasses to help reduce the effects of being dazzled by the sun, especially on bright sunny days or when the sun is low in the sky. But do F1 drivers wear sunglasses while racing to help give them the best visibility on the race track?
While no current F1 drivers wear prescription eyewear while racing, it’s not unheard of, and some previous drivers have worn glasses while racing. However, Formula One drivers do not wear sunglasses while racing. A Grand Prix race can last up to two hours and even the lightest of sunglasses will not be comfortable to wear under a racing helmet for so long in such an intense environment.
Changing conditions during a race and physical exertion from the driver could result in the sunglasses fogging up during the race, or the driver’s visibility being restricted should the sun suddenly be blocked by dark storm clouds.
Aside from that, F1 drivers simply don’t need to wear sunglasses while racing because they have a genuinely viable alternative – the racing visor of their crash helmet. The visor of F1 helmets and other motorsports such as motorcycle racing are usually clear, to give the best visibility of the race track in all conditions, but they also have “Tear-Offs” attached.
Tear-Offs are thin transparent layers that are stuck to the visor surface. During a race, the driver’s visibility can become restricted by dirt, oil or bug splats on the visor. Wiping the visor with a glove is a bad idea as it can smear the mess over the whole visor making it much worse. However, with the “tear-offs”, the driver just needs to grab the edge of the visor and pull a layer off. Hey-presto, clear vision is returned.
During some race meetings, drivers can choose to have a slight tint on their visor or tear-offs to help reduce the sun’s glare. It’s likely that the visor will also have polarisation protection too, which is normally popular in driving sunglasses.
Some races in the Middle East take place at sunset and go on into the night. During such events, a driver might choose to have a tint on the tear-offs for the start of the race while the sun is low in the sky. After the sun has set, they can remove the tinted tear-offs, leaving a nice clear visor for the remainder of the race. This is a far easier solution than trying to remove a pair of sunglasses that are being worn underneath a helmet.
Latest Posts
View the latest Formula One sunglasses posts here.
Sunglasses by F1 Driver
If you’re looking for all our sunglasses content for your favourite Formula One driver then start here.
Charles Leclerc Sunglasses
Find all our content on Charles Leclerc Sunglasses right here.
Lewis Hamilton Sunglasses
We’ve been covering Lewis Hamilton’s sunglasses for years. The British Formula One star has worn a fantastic selection of sunglasses over the years and now even has his own collection of sunglasses in collaboration with Police Eyewear. Find all our content on Lewis Hamilton Sunglasses right here.
Fernando Alonso Sunglasses
Fernando Alonso has been almost as popular as Kimi Raikkonen over the years when it comes to his choice of sunglasses. These days Fernando only really wears his own brand of Kimoa sunglasses, but you can find all our Fernando Alonso Sunglasses posts here.
Kimi Raikkonen Sunglasses
Kimi Raikkonen has been a big sunglasses fan since forever. We have a whole selection of Kimi Raikkonen sunglasses posts right here covering years from his Lotus F1 days, through the Ferrari years and up to his final year in Alfa Romeo in 2021. Check out our complete Kimi Raikkonen sunglasses collection here.
