In September 2017, the fastest man in Formula 1 posted on Snapchat that he was about to watch What the Health, adding: “I’m on a mission to go vegan, people.” The paddock rolled its eyes. Athletes need meat, everyone knew that.
Then Hamilton won the 2018 world championship. And 2019. And 2020, equalling Michael Schumacher’s record of seven titles. All of it fueled by plants. Whatever the paddock knew, it needed updating.
Yes, Lewis Hamilton eats fully plant-based, and has since September 2017. One honest nuance: he usually says “plant-based” rather than “vegan”. The diet is the same; the label is his choice. As of 2026, at Ferrari, nothing has changed.
Last fact-checked: July 7, 2026
Contents6 chapters
Why he switched
Three reasons, in his own telling: the environmental cost of animal agriculture, slaughterhouse footage he couldn’t unsee, and performance. The trigger was the documentary What the Health, announced mid-mission on Snapchat. Within months he reported feeling “incredibly clean and healthy”, and unlike most January resolutions, this one survived contact with an F1 calendar.
The performance argument aged well. Hamilton won three of his seven world titles after the switch, at an age when most drivers decline. He wasn’t alone in making that case on screen either: he was among the backers of The Game Changers, the 2018 documentary about plant-based athletes.
The vegan timeline, tap to expand
September 2017: the Snapchat announcement
2018: first plant-based title, PETA honor
2019: Neat Burger launches
2020: title number seven, vegan bulldog
2021: invests in Bramble
January 2025: Neat Burger closes, Ferrari begins
September 2025: goodbye Roscoe
What about Neat Burger?
Worth addressing head-on, because “Hamilton’s vegan burger chain failed” occasionally gets spun into “Hamilton gave up on vegan”. The chain closed its UK restaurants in early 2025 after roughly $10M in losses. That’s the restaurant business being the restaurant business. His diet didn’t change, his dog food investment didn’t change, and his daily falafel-with-hummus habit, which he once claimed to hate, definitely didn’t change.
Fact or fiction?
He won more world titles after going plant-based than before. Fact or fiction?
His dog ate plant-based too. Fact or fiction?
He eats whatever he wants, sugar included. Fact or fiction?
Quiz: how well do you know plant-based Lewis?
Five questions, no cheating
1. Which documentary kicked off his plant-based switch?
2. How many world titles did he win after going plant-based?
3. What was his burger chain called?
4. What’s his daily go-to snack?
5. What was Roscoe the bulldog’s diet?
Is Lewis Hamilton still plant-based in 2026?
Yes. His September 2025 tribute to Roscoe was steeped in the plant-based life they shared, coverage of his Ferrari move included the vegan menu question at Maranello, and no credible report has him eating animal products. The “plant-based, not vegan” label distinction is his only hedge, and it’s about wording, not food.
More vegan celebrity checks:
- Is Woody Harrelson vegan? Three decades and a June 2026 statement
- Is Travis Barker vegan? Another athlete-adjacent answer
- Is Billie Eilish vegan? Music’s loudest yes
Photo: Beto Issa, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
_(cropped).jpg){kind=link}