Seven-time F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton didn’t take part in Ferrari’s Pirelli tire test over the weekend at Mugello in Italy.
The reason?
Hamilton withdrew from taking part in the test to be with his dog, Roscoe, who entered into a coma on Friday after contracting pneumonia. The British legend’s love affair with Roscoe, a bulldog, is well-documented as Hamilton regularly shares on Instagram pictures of his beloved pet. He has also taken Roscoe with him to several races—the last time being at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Roscoe’s Struggle
Over the weekend, Hamilton also shared an update about Roscoe’s condition, and it didn’t look too good.
“Please keep Roscoe in your thoughts. I want to keep you all updated,” Hamilton began.
The 40-year-old driver then recounted what had happened to his 12-year-old bulldog: “Roscoe caught pneumonia again and was struggling to breathe. He was admitted into hospital and sedated to calm him while they did checks on him and during the process his heart stopped. They [veterinarians] managed to get a heartbeat back and now he’s in a coma. We don’t know whether he will wake from this. Tomorrow we’ll try to wake him up. I’m by his side and want to thank you all for your prayers and support.”
A Challenging Year for Hamilton
Roscoe’s bout with sickness is the latest in a string of hardships Hamilton has faced this year. So far, Hamilton has remained winless this season and has not had a podium finish through 17 starts—leaving him with seven races left to earn a podium finish, lest he finish his first-ever season without a podium.
Then again, Hamilton’s decline has been ongoing in the past few seasons, although this year has seen a more precipitous drop in form. But despite these struggles, one thing is abundantly clear: Hamilton will do whatever needs to be done for his beloved Roscoe.
