LONDON (Reuters) – Ferrari Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton announced the death of his bulldog Roscoe on Monday in an emotional social media post paying tribute to a pet with a huge following of his own.
The seven-times world champion missed a Pirelli tyre test in Italy as well as an event at Milan Fashion Week last week after the 12-year-old dog caught pneumonia and was placed in a coma.
He said Roscoe was put to sleep on Sunday, in his arms.
“After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe,” Hamilton told his 40.9 million followers on Instagram, where the bulldog had a following of 1.4 million.
“Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together.”
The pet accompanied his vegan owner through six title seasons with Mercedes — attending races with his own paddock pass and travelling by private jet. Hamilton’s other dog Coco died in 2020.
Hamilton races in Singapore this week, still chasing a first podium with Ferrari since joining the Italian team in January.
Formula One’s official feed on X, with 11.6 million followers, hailed Roscoe as “a true star in his own right”.
“Lewis Hamilton’s beloved Roscoe brought smiles to the paddock and warmed the hearts of fans all over the world,” it said.
(Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Ed Osmond)
