Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has withdrawn from Friday’s Pirelli tyre test after his dog, Roscoe, entered a coma.
The seven-time world champion was scheduled to take part in the test at Mugello, but Ferrari confirmed to ESPN he had withdrawn in order to be with Roscoe.
Hamilton issued an update on the condition of the 12-year-old bulldog via Instagram on Friday morning along with images from a veterinary clinic.
“Please keep Roscoe in your thoughts,” the seven-time champion said. “I want to keep you all updated.
“Roscoe caught pneumonia again and was struggling to breathe. He was admitted into hospital and sedated to calm him while they did checks on him and during the process his heart stopped.
“They managed to get a heartbeat back and now he’s in a coma. We don’t know whether he will wake from this. Tomorrow we’ll try to wake him up. I’m by his side and want to thank you all for your prayers and support.”
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Hamilton regularly shares images of Roscoe on social media, and the bulldog, who has often attended multiple races over the years, last visited the Formula 1 paddock at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.
Reserve driver Zhou Guanyu took over Hamilton’s responsibilities at the Mugello test alongside Ferrari regular Charles Leclerc.
The test, which is being conducted in a modified version of this year’s Ferrari, was scheduled to help Pirelli finalise decisions on the hardest compounds in its range of tyres for next year.
