Lewis Hamilton left ‘terrified’ after shark surfing incident

Lewis Hamilton was left “terrified” after a close shave with a shark ahead of the Australian Grand Prix. The Mercedes star admitted he was left frightened after surfing close to the predator ahead of the weekend.

Hamilton spotted it while surfing in Byron Bay as he enjoyed some downtime and extra training ahead of the race weekend. The Briton opened up about the incident when asked what he got up to in between races.

He said: “The gap was nice. I went from Malaysia straight to here on Sunday. I was down in Byron Bay which was stunning, my new favourite place to go. I can’t wait to go again because I love surfing.

“So I went out surfing. Although, there was a shark so I was terrified the whole time. I enjoyed the weather, got some really great training and I’m really fresh-minded and arrived here rejuvenated.”

Surfing is one of Hamilton’s biggest hobbies away from the racetrack with the seven-time champion regularly spotted riding the waves.

He was photographed enjoying a surfing day with friends in Malibu ahead of last season’s British Grand Prix. He was also branded the ‘GOAT’ by fans on social media after a clip surfaced of him practising in the sea ahead of the new campaign.

It comes as Mercedes continue to lack pace with the W14 compared to main rivals Red Bull. The package had appeared a round a second per lap slower on race weekends this season in a major blow to Hamilton’s title ambitions.

Hamilton called out Mercedes engineers for not listening to him over the direction of the car. Ahead of the race in Saudi Arabia, Hamilton demanded mechanics took “accountability” and “owned up”.

Although he later stressed the remarks were not the best choice of words, he later appeared to double down on his suggestions. The 38-year-old claimed he was satisfied at telling the team that their design was wrong as he “liked” to be right.

However, Hamilton has pledged he will stay with his Mercedes “family” despite not yet agreeing to a new deal. Hamilton added: “I’m just trying to make sure I’m staying consistent, make sure I’m training a lot in between races.

“Just trying to make sure I am the fittest I can be for when at some stage I do get the car that we’ve all been hoping for. If that happens, whether it’s two or ten or 20 races away, I just want to make sure I’m ready for that day.”