LEWIS HAMILTON squeezed in some childhood fun ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Many Formula One drivers would have spent the week in build-up to the race in the simulator trying to shave off edges to their lap times.
GettyLewis Hamilton and Esteban Ocon enjoyed some remote control car fun[/caption]
GettyThe unusual prep came ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix[/caption]
GettyHamilton explained he and Ocon had planned it ages ago[/caption]
However, the Suzuka circuit has a special place in F1, and consequently many drivers take the time to enjoy the attractions Japan has to offer.
This novelty is not lost on Hamilton, who is a massive fan of Japanese gaming company Nintendo.
The company, worth an estimated £44billion, has its own Universal Studios Super Nintendo World in Osaka.
And Hamilton, 38, made the 75-mile trip to the city in order to pay a visit.
While there the seven-time F1 champ was pictured wearing a white and red polka-dot hat in a clear reference to Super Mario character Toad – who starred in the recent film adaption starring Chris Pratt.
If the hat was not enough to give the F1 superstar away, then wearing a T-shirt of his own “44” branding may not have helped.
His visit came one year after Hamilton paid a visit to a Nintendo shop in Montreal, Canada, in order to buy a Mario Kart game.
But he failed to get the game, instead opting for a Sega Genesis – also known as a Mega Drive.
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Following his visit to Japan‘s Universal Studios, Hamilton was then spotted taking his Mario Kart passion into real life with fellow driver Esteban Ocon.
The duo were spotted in the Suzuka paddock playing around with a remote control car.
Asked about the activity, he told reporters: “Yeah, so Esteban and I had planned a while ago, that while we’re here, we’ll get our remote control cars together and have a bit of a race in the pit lane.
“For me, it was very reminiscent of when I was a kid on Blue Peter, and it was really cool, because we all share, more in common than we probably think, other than the fact that we’re pure racers.”
He added: “But it’s very rare that we all get to do things like that, so it was it was fun.
“But that’s what our race was when I was a kid. I raced electric and petrol and it was Kyosho.
“It’s basically an evolution of the car that you’ll see, like Senna had and I had the same car as Senna when I was younger. And he’s mega at it.”
Hamilton managed a podium finish at last weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, his fifth of the season, to put him on 196 throughout his F1 career.
He remains in the search for an elusive win since the new era of ground-effect F1 cars came in, but last weekend’s strong display should provide a positive bounce to the season run-in.
Hamilton was also seen supporting Sebastian Vettel as he built 11 “insect hotels” at the Suzuka circuit and painted Turn Two with black and yellow paint.
GettyHamilton said it reminded him of when it was a kid[/caption]
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