Lewis Hamilton confirms death of dog Roscoe after falling into coma

Lewis Hamilton has confirmed the sad news that his beloved dog, Roscoe, has died. The seven-time Formula 1 champion has been by the side of his faithful companion since Wednesday, when he rushed the bulldog to a vet after a "scary few hours" in which his health deteriorated. But things worsened still on Friday when Hamilton confirmed his dog had fallen into a coma, admitting his worry that they might not be able to wake him again.

Hamilton has now confirmed the sad news that Roscoe, who was believed to be around 13 years old, has died. In an emotional statement posted to social media on Monday, he said: "After four days on life support, fighting with every bit of strength he had, I had to make the hardest decision of my life and say goodbye to Roscoe.

"He never stopped fighting, right until the very end. I feel so grateful and honoured to have shared my life with such a beautiful soul, an angel and true friend. Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made, and I will forever cherish the memories we created together. Although I lost Coco, I have never been faced with putting a dog to sleep before, though I know my mum and many close friends have.

"It is one of the most painful experiences and I feel a deep connection to everyone who has gone through the loss of a beloved pet. Although it was so hard, having him was one of the most beautiful parts of life, to love so deeply and to be loved in return. Thank you all for the love and support you've shown Roscoe over the years. It has been so special to witness and feel. He died on Sunday evening, 28th September in my arms."

Hamilton adopted Roscoe back in 2013 and his beloved bulldog followed him to plenty of F1 races both at Silverstone and in Europe over the years. That included a trip to Istanbul where the Brit won his seventh drivers' title which took him level with Michael Schumacher at the top of the all-time list.

Roscoe's most recent public appearance came at the British Grand Prix in July this year, where he appeared on stage at a fan event with Hamilton for the first time as a Ferrari driver. That was after another bout of pneumonia which the hardy hound had successfully pulled through earlier in the year.

Hamilton said in May that he hoped he would be able to take Roscoe with him to the Italian Grand Prix, to mark his first Monza race as a Ferrari driver. However, his four-legged friend was nowhere to be seen in the paddock at the team's home event.

Hamilton's global popularity meant Roscoe also have a particularly large following of his own. The dog had his own Instagram page with a whopping 1.3million followers, many of whom were swift to comment after the sad news was delivered that Roscoe had succumbed to his illness.

Hamilton had been due to travel to Italy on Friday to take part in a Pirelli tyre test at the Mugello circuit. However, he did not make the trip to stay by Roscoe's side and was replaced by reserve driver Zhou Guanyu who took to the track, sharing the car with Charles Leclerc.