Lewis Hamilton’s shisha pipe shame latest in series of social media gaffes from F1 world champion
British racer uploaded videos of himself smoking to his Snapchat account at around 3.30am — but deleted them just a few hours later
LEWIS HAMILTON was left looking like a dope after posting videos of himself on an apparent drunken night partying.
The world champion uploaded clips to his Snapchat account at around 3.30am yesterday morning, including one of him smoking a shisha pipe.
Hamilton, who is also seen drinking in the footage, revels in the fact he has been up all night before encouraging two girls to jump into a swimming pool.
The videos were deleted a few hours later — although SunSport has learnt neither Hamilton’s Mercedes team or his PR company were aware of the clips or asked him to remove them.
British Formula One star Hamilton, 31, was partying with pals after finishing third in Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix.
It is the latest in a series of gaffes involving the three-time world champ.
Last month, police in New Zealand launched an investigation after he appeared to film himself riding a motorbike on a motorway.
That incident came just hours after his remarks about “a lot of Chinese people” on a flight had also raised eyebrows.
Hamilton has also been warned about filming within the F1 paddock, which breaks strict broadcasting rules.
Only TV rights holders are allowed to film inside the circuit, yet defiant Hamilton continues to risk the wrath of F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone — and potentially a massive bill — by posting videos.
He is also understood to have been warned by his Merc bosses after he filmed inside the team’s garage, potentially revealing top-secret information about the design of their car.
Meanwhile, Hamilton is taking a leaf out of Muhammad Ali’s book in a bid to unsettle title leader Nico Rosberg.
The German has won the first two races this season — having also taken the chequered flag in the final three outings last term — to surge 17 points clear of his Mercedes team-mate.
But Hamilton said: “This is a psychological game. It is a battle and I’m in the most solid place I’ve ever been psychologically.
“There’s very little, if anything, that can penetrate that. Naturally, nobody likes losing but all my guys work so hard we could have easily promoted that to a win on race pace.
“There’s a long way to go, don’t stress it. You can’t win them all.
“It is like Muhammad Ali in the Rumble in the Jungle. He got the dude to believe he was winning and he didn’t, so anything can still happen.
“It doesn’t mean a thing that he’s won the last five races.”
When asked by SunSport if he feared this season was going to be one of disappointment after last year’s heroics, Hamilton said: “It won’t be. I’m not worried.”
INSTA-HAM — all of Lewis' social media cock-ups
Hamilton had to delete a Tweet in 2012 after posting an image of highly-secretive car telemetry data.
In the same year, he apologises to Jenson Button after believing fellow Brit unfollowed him on Twitter.
Deleted video in 2014 of him using a rifle on the day a gunman was overpowered on a train.
Removes another clip of him speeding through Monte Carlo in his £2.4million supercar.