Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham: “There Are Always Going to Be Haters, I Quite Like It”
At Formula E's “Evo Sessions” at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, talent from across the world are taking turns to drive a kart around the circuit. Each has been paired with a team, and though they are not officially racing – they're not actually allowed to as amateurs, apparently – their speeds are still being compared. It's all quite Top Gear.
Brooklyn Peltz-Beckham – chef, business owner, photographer, promising race driver – is in the lead. Though ex-Manchester City star Sergio Agüero is doing his round as we speak, and it's looking as though the former footballer might knock the son-of-a-footballer off the top spot.
Peltz-Beckham is coolly unconcerned. He's accustomed to being compared to others – his parents (David and Victoria), his younger siblings (Romeo, Cruz and Harper), his peers (others of equally famous pedigree) and his generation (Z). He's also used to the naysayers.
“There are always going to be haters out there. I actually like it because it makes me work harder. I don’t let it bother me.”
In south Florida, a home from home for both him and his wife, Nicola Peltz-Beckham, he feels comfortable. He's also equipped with a confidence born from “being a sponge” – he's been assiduously “listening to the pros” of the electric motorsport.
Peltz-Beckham is partnered with the Jaguar TCS Racing team. From the beginning of his training, he's been buddied up with Mitch Evans who he now deems a friend. He's adored the whole experience as he's been a lifelong motorsports fan. “It’s something I’ve always enjoyed with my dad and my friends.”
Though this is a man of little visible emotion – a 26-year-old with 26 years of experience with the press –he's happily expressing undisguised joy.
Can he imagine taking racing up full-time? “Oh, definitely.”
He'd like it to be a new hobby, at least – something to fill the gaps between padel – which he's “pretty good at” – and running Cloud 23.
That's his condiment company. “It’s something I’ve been working on for the last three years,” he tells me. “We’re just looking to grow it as big as we can and get it in every house. We have big plans. This year, I'm getting my head down.”
The brand is embroidered above the closure of his baseball cap which is he wearing backwards – merch he “fully designed” that made him open-minded about venturing into fashion in the future.
He's all about treading into new territory. “It's fine to be figuring out what you want to do next, as long as you're giving things a go.”
Cloud 23 – a result of his recent immersion in the culinary world – also appears on his racing helmet, alongside his lucky numbers (7 and 23), the day he asked his wife to marry him as well as an illustration of her eyes. It's pink, his favourite colour.
The 26-year-old is very much into the racing look and mentions that he's previously sought style inspiration from retro racing gear. But he quite likes the idea of incorporating his Formula E kit into 'fits moving forward. He enjoys the idea of it promoting the championship's sustainable principles and he reckons he could make it fashion.
He attributes his sense of style to his parents. He also notes that he's becoming increasingly aligned with his brothers' sartorial tastes, though Romeo's look is a little more effervescent and Cruz is leaning into the returning Britpop mode.
At the moment, he's usually styled by his wife. He tells me how everything has changed since she came into his life.
“I think the most important thing someone can do is find their person. Their whole life will change," he says, thumbing his wedding ring. "My wife has my back and I have hers and we don’t listen to anyone. We just do our thing”.
On and off the track, it sounds like winning doesn't matter to Peltz-Beckham. He has a different idea of success.
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