Lewis Hamilton commanded attention in an orange ombre coat as he arrived at the paddock ahead of the Formula One Australian Grand on Thursday.
The seven-time world champion, 39, went shirtless under the oversized eye catching jacket which he teamed with blue wide-legged jeans.
As he arrived at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Lewis accessorised with a pair of large square framed sunglasses and a beaded necklace.
The British star seemed in good spirits as he was greeted by fans at the paddock entrance and signed autographs.
Earlier in the day, Lewis delivered a blistering attack on Formula One, saying it discriminates against women.
Lewis Hamilton commanded attention in an orange ombre coat as he arrived at the paddock ahead of the Formula One Australian Grand on Thursday
The seven-time world champion, 39, went shirtless under the oversized eye catching jacket which he teamed with blue wide-legged jeans
The racing driver also revealed he did not support the most powerful man in world motor sport, Mohammed ben Sulayem.
In a strident speech in Melbourne, he supported Susie Wolff, the wife of his Mercedes boss Toto. She has begun criminal proceedings in France against the FIA, the governing body run by Ben Sulayem.
Susie Wolff, 41, is angry that she was subject to an investigation by the FIA into a potential conflict of interest, given her position as the head of the F1 Academy, run and owned by the sport’s owners Liberty Media, and her husband’s involvement as a F1 team principal.
The issue was looked into and dismissed by the FIA compliance department in December.
Lewis said: ‘I’m incredibly proud of Susie. I think she is so brave, and she stands for such great values. She’s such a leader in a world where often people are silenced. For her to be standing up sends such a great message.’
Apparently alluding to the woman at the centre of the Red Bull scandal, who has complained about alleged harassment by team principal Christian Horner – a charge of which he has been cleared in an internal inquiry – Hamilton added: ‘It is still a male-dominated sport.
‘We’re living in a time where the message is if you file a complaint, you will be fired (the women in the Red Bull saga has been suspended on full pay), and that is a terrible narrative to be projecting to the world, especially when we’re talking about inclusivity in the sport. We need to make sure we stay true to the core values.
‘I love that she’s taken it out of this world (of F1) because there is a real lack of accountability here, within this sport, within the FIA. Things are happening behind closed doors. There is no transparency, and we need that.
As he arrived at the Albert Park circuit in Melbourne, Lewis accessorised with a pair of large sunglasses and a beaded necklace
The British star was greeted by fans at the paddock entrance and signed autographs
He seemed in good spirits as he held up his thumb to waiting fans
Lewis arrived in the paddock ahead of the weekend’s Grand Prix
‘The fans need that. How can you trust the sport and what is happening here if you don’t have that? ‘
‘Hopefully the stand she’s taking now will create change, will have a positive impact, and especially for women.’
It comes after Lewis signed with Italian marque Ferrari and will leave Mercedes after racing for them for 12 seasons.
The bombshell move came less than a year after Hamilton denied talks with Ferrari over a huge £40million deal and instead signed a two-year extension with the Silver Arrows worth a combined £100m.
He had previously expressed his desire to remain with Mercedes – where he has won six of his seven world championships – for the remainder of his career.
But Ferrari stepped up their efforts to tempt him across to Maranello, after Hamilton expressed frustration in recent seasons over under-performing by Mercedes.
