Since Hamilton’s best friend Roscoe passed away, he has been receiving loving condolences—in Mexico, he revealed what he learned from his dog.
Anyone who has ever had a dog can probably understand Lewis Hamilton’s current grief. When you’re constantly on the go together, you get to know every corner of your immediate surroundings in a whole new way—holiday memories are closely intertwined with the behavior of your four-legged, fluffy roommate.
That genuine joy when you come back into the house after only five minutes away and your dog acts like it hasn’t seen you in years—that’s something unique. After the death of Hamilton’s British bulldog Roscoe in September, the seven-time world champion received sympathy from all over the world. At the 2025 Mexican Grand Prix, the organizers even unveiled a small statue in memory of Hamilton’s friend. When the Briton heard about this, he was moved: “I feel like I’m forming a much deeper connection with people during this time of grief. Because so many people are experiencing grief. And so many have lost someone they love this year,” said the 40-year-old.
For Hamilton, compassion is “incredibly encouraging to see”
“For me, it’s just incredibly encouraging to see that at a time when the world often seems so bleak and so divided—especially when you look at how little compassion many of the people who lead countries show—there are still so many good, compassionate people out there. That touches me deeply.”
With Roscoe, Hamilton felt a kind of love “that you hardly find anywhere else—perhaps only with your own mother. Every day when you get up, leave the house, go for a walk.” Hamilton grew up with a dog as a child: “In almost all my baby photos, he’s lying next to me—he was really like my guardian angel.”
The saddest day of his younger life was when he had to say goodbye to his first dog. At around six years old, it was his “first real traumatic experience.” “Since then, my mother has always had dogs, so I was constantly surrounded by them.”
Roscoe has left his mark on F1 fan culture
His love of animals ultimately led him to veganism. It was one of the reasons “why I decided to eat a plant-based diet.” He then adopted his dogs Coco and Roscoe. However, his family was skeptical at first, as he was “always on the road.”
“I hate it when someone tells me I can’t do something,” Hamilton continued. But he found a way, as we have seen for ourselves in recent years. Roscoe Hamilton was seen at racetracks around the world, found loving care at home, delighted people with his idiosyncratic nature, and was probably better known than some Formula 1 drivers. For example, he made a brief appearance in the F1 movie this summer, with his name in the credits, and found himself as a video game character in Fortnite.
Hamilton is reminded of Roscoe every day
The great thing about pets, especially dogs, is that they offer a form of unconditional love. Hamilton has also observed this during visits to prisons, where inmates spend time with dogs. “They experience a form of unconditional love there that they may never have experienced in their childhood. That’s exactly what you learn—empathy.”
Now, “it’s pretty quiet at home since Roscoe and Coco are gone. But I still have his bed and his toys lying around everywhere—so in a way, he’s still part of the apartment.“
Hamilton is also reminded of Roscoe time and again during race weekends. ”At every race, fans give me pictures and drawings of Roscoe. That touches me deeply. He will always be a big part of my life.”
