Lewis Hamilton has thanked his fans for their support as he prepares for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix, his first race since the passing of his beloved pet dog Roscoe.
The news that Roscoe, the English Bulldog of Hamilton, had passed away, was met with an outpouring of support, with teams and drivers sending their sympathies.
His Instagram post achieved almost 10 million likes, with over 310,000 comments, as fans from around the world rallied to support Hamilton through his grief.
The scale of the support overwhelmed Hamilton, who addressed his grief on Thursday in Singapore ahead of on track action starting on Friday.
Hamilton thanked his fans for their support, acknowledging the unique relationship Roscoe had with drivers, teams and fans of F1 alike.
“It’s been amazing to see the support from so many people around the world. It’s overwhelming to see how much Roscoe helped and touched people,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“The kind messages I’ve received have been uplifting. Anyone out there who knows how to lose a pet, they know how painful it is.
“I read somewhere that grief is the last act of love and I’m definitely feeling that.”
Hamilton keen to move through grief at one of F1’s toughest races
Confirming his mother had lost her dog earlier in the year, Hamilton revealed his approach to grief, and the impact the support from the F1 community has had on him.
“I remind yourself that every day will get a bit better, just to cultivate a positive mental attitude through the tough phase,” said Hamilton.
In a time where the world is relatively dark outside of this paddock. There’s a lot of negativity.”
He added concerns over the current state of the world, but said the messages of support gave him hope.
“There’s wars everywhere, there’s conflicts everywhere, issues in governments and people are struggling. There’s a bigger disparity between poor and rich.
“But through this experience, there is a lot of empathy, a lot of love and caring people which gives me a lot of hope for mankind. To experience that, that’s what Roscoe has taught me.”
Marina Bay has played host to highlights and woes for Hamilton in recent seasons, his near perfect qualifying lap from 2018 countered a slump in form in 2022, and sixth last season.
Hopeful he and Ferrari will see an upturn in fortune this weekend, previous achievements and increased confidence in the SF-25 underpin an optimistic Hamilton.
“I feel optimistic. There’s lots of positives to take from the last race. I’m definitely feeling better in the car,” Hamilton said
“This has been a track that’s generally been good for me in the past. I’m really excited to try a Ferrari here for the first time and the different characteristics it has compared to my previous cars and see if we can execute better. If we can qualify better, we will have a much better result.”
“It’s a track I’ve gone well at and I’ve started to feel a lot better in the car since the summer break. However, the results haven’t shown that just yet but it’s gonna happen. I’m hoping it will be this weekend,” he said.
“Having known places like Baku, how the car reacts, hopefully I can start a couple steps ahead of the last race and I hope we can carry that through this weekend.”
READ MORE – F1 paddock rallies with sympathy for Lewis Hamilton after death of Roscoe
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