Lewis Hamilton left baffled by special message from TV personality ‘he doesn’t really know’

Lewis Hamilton couldn’t hide his laughter after Richard Hammond sent him a good-luck message ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix.

The Formula 1 icon was appearing at a Ferrari fan event hosted by Shell ahead of this weekend’s race in Shanghai.

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While on stage, Hamilton was told by the host that they had a surprise for him, before a video featuring the former Top Gear co-host began to play on screen.

With Shell and Ferrari long-term partners, Hammond sent the seven-time world champion his best wishes on the oil company’s behalf.

He began: “Lewis, the folks at Shell Helix have asked me to send you a message, rather thoughtfully.”

The TV presenter then continued: “What I really want to say is, all the very best for the forthcoming Grand Prix in Shanghai.

“We shall all be watching. All the best, mate. Good luck.”

‘Why did you choose him?’

While Hamilton was all smiles at the end of Hammond’s message, an awkward moment lay ahead.

Asked by the event host if he had any response to the short clip, the 41-year-old grinned before looking slightly confused

He responded: “I’ve never met him before, I don’t really know him so…”

This got plenty of laughs from the crowd, while Hamilton also struggled to contain himself as he tried to make sense of the message.

The British sporting icon continued: “I’ve seen him on TV a couple times but…

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“That was very strange, I was not expecting to see him of all people.

“Why did you choose him?

“I don’t know it could’ve been anyone, I don’t know but it’s nice, the message was really nice, thank you so much…

“But no, I grew up watching his show, so it caught me by surprise…. He’s a Shell ambassador?”

Hamilton’s hilarious response was quickly picked up by fans online, although some questioned his claim that he hadn’t met Hammond.

They pointed out that Hamilton had appeared twice on Top Gear, prompting former presenter Jeremy Clarkson to get involved.

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Responding to one fan on X, Clarkson wrote: “In Lewis’s defence, James and Richard never met the guests.”

What’s next for Lewis Hamilton?

After completing his media duties, Hamilton will now turn his focus back to this weekend’s Shanghai Grand Prix.

He is looking to secure back-to-back sprint race victories in China, having clinched his first-ever win in this event last year.

However, Hamilton’s hopes were dealt a blow in Friday’s qualifying, where Mercedes outpaced Ferrari.

As a result, the Brit will start Saturday’s sprint in fourth place, while compatriot George Russell took pole just days after winning the Australian Grand Prix.

In the season opener, Hamilton narrowly missed out on the podium, after his team made another strategy blunder by not pitting him or team-mate Charles Leclerc under two Virtual Safety Cars.