WhatsApp and Mercedes also turned the iconic building green on Monday night. to mark the launch of the new emoji.

This weekend Hamilton is looking to improve on his showing at last month’s Chinese Grand Prix, in which he finished down in ninth place.

Lewis Hamilton made a quick pit stop in New York City this week before heading to Florida for the Miami Grand Prix

Hamilton could be seen driving his Mercedes car down the city’s famous Fifth Avenue and doing a donut as fans packed the streets to get a glimpse of the seven-time champion

His whizz past the Empire State was to celebrate Mercedes’ partnership with WhatsApp

Hamilton and Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff take part in the lighting ceremony at the Empire State Building

It has been a difficult first three months of the season for the British driver, who is languishing down in ninth place in the overall F1 standings after three ninth and one seventh-place finish.

He also failed to qualify for the Australian Grand Prix back in March, coming as a new low in his recent fall from grace.

Nevertheless, the 39-year-old is enthused by the prospect of three races in the United States this year, with events in Texas and Las Vegas to follow Sunday’s Miami showpiece.

‘It is a dream for us to be in Miami and in the United States,’ he said.

‘They are massive sporting fans here so to be in such an important city like Miami where sport is huge – and now Formula One is part of that – it is great to see.

‘For such a huge country, it is amazing that we finally have three races here. The difficult thing with Formula One is that you usually visit a country once a year.

‘But the growth has been huge and it is such a big market for the sport.’