LEW SCARED?
Lewis Hamilton races Stranger Things star Millie Bobby Brown around track before Austin Grand Prix
British champion Hamilton took the Netflix star on a drive before his big race in Texas
STRANGER THINGS have happened in Formula One.
Lewis Hamilton, on the verge of a fifth championship title, took actress Millie Bobby Brown out for a spin on the Texas track before Sunday's Grand Prix.
5
British driver Hamilton needs to pick up just eight points more than Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel to claim the title.
But there appeared to be no pressure on the 33-year-old as he prepared for the race.
Hamilton met Brown, the 14-year-old star of Netflix hit Stranger Things, on the track and then took her out for a lap of the Circuit of the Americas in his yellow AMG Mercedes.
Before the drive, Brown, who plays Eleven in the show, said: "I'm nervous, absolutely."
5
5
5
And after telling Hamilton to go easy on the gas, the champ said: "You said I can't go too fast? You can't tell a racing driver that, you know?"
Hamilton, who will land a £3million bonus for winning the F1 title, starts on pole at the U.S. Grand Prix.
Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has tied Hamilton down to a new two-year deal from January which could reach £40m a year, while Merc's 900 staff will get a bonus of at least £10,000 each when they win the teams' title.
Deals with fashion brand Tommy Hilfiger, Monster Energy, Puma and Bose boost his earnings by an extra £7m a year.
5
MORE SPORT STORIES
That takes this season's earning to around £33m, yet for Mercedes he is simply worth every penny as he powered his way to the 81st pole of his career in Austin.
Those close to Hamilton insist he is not driven by money and despite his new fashion business, he is fully focused on F1.
And that's shown as he speeds towards another title.