‘Why did you choose him?’ – Lewis Hamilton laughs at ‘very strange’ Richard Hammond message
Lewis Hamilton appeared twice on the now-defunct Top Gear, where Richard Hammond was among the presenters
Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton was left in a fit of laughter after receiving a good luck message from British television presenter Richard Hammond ahead of this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix.
Hamilton enjoyed a solid start to the F1 2026 season in Australia last weekend, equalling his best finish of his Ferrari career by coming home fourth.
Lewis Hamilton’s hilarious reaction to Richard Hammond message
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Ferrari has emerged as the biggest threat to Mercedes at the start of this season, with Hamilton’s teammate Charles Leclerc finishing third behind race winner George Russell and Kimi Antonelli.
A clip has surfaced on social media of Hamilton attending an event by long-term Ferrari partner Shell ahead of this week’s race in Shanghai.
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The 41-year-old was taken by surprise when a pre-recorded clip was shown on screen of Hammond, the former Top Gear presenter, wishing him good luck.
Hammond said: “Lewis! The folks at Shell Helix have asked me to send you a message, rather thoughtfully.
“Obviously, they’ll probably want me to talk about how Shell and Ferrari have worked together for 75 years, making already very fast cars even faster.
“But I’m not going to do that. No. Technically, I just did…
“Still, Shell Helix is Ferrari’s oil of choice and it’s good to know it will be there working hard for you when you’re in your car.
“That’s the important bit, because what I really what 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.”
*Shell shows Lewis Hamilton a special message from Richard Hammond*
Lewis: “I’ve never met him before, I don’t really know him so… *laughs* I’ve seen him on TV a couple times but… That was very strange, I was not expecting to see him of all people. Why did you choose him? I… pic.twitter.com/TU12ZFLvBr
— sin ⁴⁴ (@44britcedes) March 12, 2026
Hamilton, who appeared twice as a guest on Top Gear during Hammond’s stint on the now-defunct BBC show, burst into laughter when he was invited to give his reaction to the message.
He said: “I’ve never met him before. I don’t really know him so…
“I’ve seen him on TV a couple of times. So it’s very strange, I was not expecting to see him of all people.”
He then added: “Why did you choose… him?”
As the crowd began to laugh, he quickly clarified: “I don’t know, it could have been anyone.
“But it’s nice. The message was really nice. Thank you so much.”
Put to him that Hammond is a fan of him, he said: “I grew up watching his shows. It caught me by surprise.
“He’s a Shell ambassador?”
The host of the event replied: “Kind of, kind of. Yeah. We are working with him. He’s really influential, right, about the car racing and motorsports culture.”
Hamilton said: “Yeah, he’s driven everything.”
Hammond’s message to Hamilton comes just weeks after his daughter Izzy participated in a Formula E demonstration run involving prominent social media personalities in Jeddah, the home of F1’s Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
She crashed into the wall at the final corner, but escaped uninjured.
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