Fans were left in shock by Lewis Hamilton at the Japanese Grand Prix after the Brit unveiled a new hairstyle.
Hamilton, 40, has endured a mixed start to life at Ferrari since his move from Mercedes, with the seven-time world champion finishing 10th in Australia before he was disqualified in China after initially coming fifth, although he did win the sprint race.
He followed that up with a seventh-place finish in Suzuka on Sunday, but eagle-eyed supporters were quick to notice something different about Hamilton’s appearance.
Ahead of the Grand Prix getting underway, Hamilton was seen preparing for the race next to his car.
As he adjusted his Balaclava, which all drivers wear to cover their heads – something that provides additional protection – the Brit decided to pull the piece of equipment completely off to readjust his hair.
And when Hamilton did so, his hair was unbraided, with the Brit renowned for having braided hair, while he has occasionally unfurled carefully manicured cornrows.
Lewis Hamilton shocked fans at the Japanese Grand Prix when he unveiled a new hairstyle
Ferrari driver Hamilton, 40, who is a seven-time world champion, usually has his hair braided
As Hamilton took his balaclava off ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, his hair was unbraided
Instead, the 40-year-old’s hair was lengthy and slightly frizzy as he attempted to tie it into a bun.
Several fans were quick to pick up on this as one said: ‘Lewis with his hair unbraided– hello!’
Another added: ‘Love it. Let it out lewis.’
Further fans joined in as another added: ‘Ohhh what,’ with an extra supporter saying: ‘So surprised to see it all loose! Maybe he’s due another braiding.’
One other simply said: ‘Omg I wanna run my fingers through he’s beautiful hair GOD GIVE ME A CHANCE!!!’
Hamilton had qualified in eighth for Sunday’s race, but managed to quickly get ahead of Racing Bulls’ Isack Hadjar into seventh.
However, he was unable to make further progress up the grid, with his move up the standings the only positional change in the top 10.
He finished three places behind team-mate Charles Leclerc, meaning he has been outperformed by his new team-mate in both of the races they have completed this season.
Several supporters were left stunned by Hamilton’s new look, but also appeared to enjoy it
And, speaking after the race, the seven-time world champion said he wants to figure out why his car is underperforming.
‘Happy I moved forwards,’ said Hamilton. ‘I’m really hoping the next race we’ll see some positive changes.
‘Through the first three races there’s been a bit of a deficit between both sides of the garage.
‘On my side something is underperforming, so it’s good to know. With what I had, it was the best result I could get.’
Both Ferrari drivers were involved in more tetchy conversations over the team radio in Japan, where Max Verstappen held his nerve to claim victory from pole position.
As he sought answers for his lack of pace, Hamilton was clearly frustrated by the lack of detail he was receiving from Riccardo Adami, his new race engineer.
The Brit was also annoyed by suggestions of early teething problems when asked about similar exchanges during the season opener in Melbourne.
Attention will only turn away from radio messages and back onto matters on the track if results start picking up for Hamilton. He admitted his team have ground to make up at next weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
‘It will definitely be interesting, for sure,’ said the 40-year-old. ‘I hope we’ll be a little bit closer, we’re probably the fourth fastest clearly at the moment and I think we’re definitely a little bit off the other guys. We’ve got some work to do to close the gap.’