Lewis Hamilton was left perplexed ahead of the Canada Grand Prix after a security guard asked him for his credentials as the seven-time champions rode his scooter around the grounds.
The seven-time world champion is among the most globally recognised faces in sport, after a storied career in motor racing that has seen him win world titles with McLaren and Mercedes.
With the latter he has won six world titles, but that 11-year long partnership between Hamilton and Mercedes will come to an end at the end of the year after the Brit signed a sensational deal to join Ferrari for 2025.
Throughout his career, Hamilton has greatly enjoyed his time in Montreal – in fact no driver has won there more times, with Michael Schumacher tied on seven – however that didn’t stop security asking him for some identification.
A video clip shows the 39-year-old riding a scooter towards the security guard, who gestures at his chest and holds his lanyard suggesting Hamilton show his own in order to pass.
Hamilton, however, in a Mercedes-branded t-shirt double takes as he passes the guard, perhaps surprised that he was asked for his credentials.
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The guard doesn’t put up too much resistance, though, and just watches as the superstar driver just scoots on looking bemused over his shoulder.
A member of what appears to be the Mercedes star’s entourage gestures towards the security guard to assuage any fears and Hamilton is allowed to pass on.
While it is one of his favourite hunting grounds, the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal has not seen one of its favourite racers come out on top for five years now – a run Hamilton will want to break.
He has in fact not won a race since Saudi Arabia in December 2021, with Red Bull assuming Mercedes’ position as the top of the pile in recent years.
It comes after the FIA unveiled the incoming technical regulations from 2026 on Thursday ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix to much fanfare.
They promise machinery 30kg lighter than the current lumbering behemoths, saying the slimmer design will make them ‘nimbler’ and produce closer racing.
But Hamilton, who has called for lighter cars for years, said: ‘It’s only 30kg. It’s going in the right direction, but it is still heavy.
‘I have only just seen what you have this morning so I don’t have any big thoughts just yet.
‘The drivers who have driven in a simulator said it’s pretty slow. We’ll have to see.
‘In terms of sustainability it is going in the right direction, though.’