Hamilton’s loyalty under question?

LONDON: Lewis Hamilton may be receiving a phone call from disgruntled Mercedes chiefs soon, after images of his personalised LaFerrari made their way online.

The four-time world champion blazed to glory once again this season, lifting the title in Mexico to confirm himself as the finest driver on the planet.

In an action packed season Hamilton battled fiercely with his arch rival — Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel - beating the Italian sports car manufacturer to the top spot.

Hamilton, however, has shown his soft spot for the iconic supercar producers, after pictures of his pristine model appeared on Instagram.

Canadian actor and comedian Andrew B. Bachelor, better known as Kingbach, took to the social media platform to post some snaps of Hamilton’s ride.

The two men are friends and have been seen pictured together on several occasions before, most recently at October’s F1 race in Austin, Texas.

Kingbach posted two images of Hamilton’s car via the Instagram story function, adding laughing face emojis when highlighting the fact the world champion had personalised a rival brand’s car.

Life is rosy for Hamilton right now, who is taking a well-earned break after another incredible season.

The 32-year-old was dealt a blow in midweek when he failed to even make the top three for the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year award.

Meanwhile, Formula One will remain on free-to-air television in Germany, one of its major markets, after agreeing a contract extension with broadcaster RTL until at least 2020.

Formula One said in a statement on Tuesday that the new three-year agreement included coverage of all free practice sessions, qualifying and the race.

The German Grand Prix, a home race for reigning world champions Mercedes as well as Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel, is back on the calendar at Hockenheim in 2018 after being absent in 2017.

“The extension of the agreement... will guarantee that our fans in Germany will continue to watch Grands Prix on free TV,” said Formula One’s media rights director Ian Holmes. “The agreement is part of our strategy that aims to increase and strengthen television coverage on a worldwide basis, whilst tailoring it to the characteristics of each TV market.”