Lewis Hamilton left baffled by surprise Richard Hammond message ahead of Chinese GP

Lewis Hamilton was left amused but surprised after receiving an unexpected good luck message from Richard Hammond

Lewis Hamilton was left baffled by a surprise message from former Top Gear presenter Richard Hammond during an event with Shell ahead of the Chinese Grand Prix weekend.

While standing on stage in front of a crowd of fans, the seven-time champion was shown the message from the Briton.

"Lewis, the folks at Shell Helix have asked me to send you a message, rather thoughtfully. Obviously, they'll probably want me to talk about how Shell and Ferrari have worked together for 75 years, making your already very fast cars even faster," Hammond said.

"But I'm not gonna do that, no. Technically, I just did. Still, Shell Helix is Ferrari's fuel of choice, and it's good to know it will be there working hard for you when you're in your car working hard. And that's important, then.

"Because what I really want to say is, all the very best for the forthcoming grand prix in Shanghai... We shall all be watching. All the best, mate. Good luck."

While the message, clearly set up as a promotional moment, was a sweet gesture from Hammond, Hamilton was visibly confused by the moment.

"I've never met him before. I don't really know him," the Ferrari driver said, when asked if he had a response for the TV presenter.

"I've seen him on TV a couple of times. So it's very strange, I was not expecting to see him of all people. Why did you choose him?" he laughed.

"I don't know, it could have been anyone. But it's nice, the message was really nice. Thank you so much. I grew up watching his show. So, just caught by surprise."

Hamilton qualified fourth for the Chinese sprint race, which will take place on 14 March at 11am local time (3am GMT).