Roscoe, Lewis Hamilton’s beloved bulldog and long-time paddock companion, has died after complications from pneumonia. The Ferrari driver shared the news on Sunday night, calling the decision to let Roscoe go after four days on life support “the hardest” of his life.
Roscoe wasn’t just a pet who popped up on social media. For more than a decade he was a fixture in the F1 world — padding along pitlanes, snoozing in hospitality, and softening the edges of a sport that doesn’t often show its softer side. Hamilton was the first to make bringing a dog to races feel normal, and the sight of Roscoe trotting beside a seven-time world champion became part of the show.
“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,” Hamilton wrote on Instagram. “He never stopped fighting, right until the very end.”
Hamilton said he’d asked fans for “thoughts and prayers” last week after “a scary few hours,” then revealed Roscoe slipped into a coma following complications from pneumonia. He passed away on Sunday, 28 September, in Hamilton’s arms.
“Bringing Roscoe into my life was the best decision I ever made,” Hamilton continued. “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.”
Roscoe’s presence in the paddock opened the door for others. Charles Leclerc’s dog Leo and Pierre Gasly’s Simba are regulars now, but Roscoe was the original paddock pupper, the unofficial mascot of an era when grand prix weekends felt a touch more human. He was also the second of Hamilton’s dogs to pass; Coco died in 2020.
Hamilton’s words carried the rawness of someone who’s used to pressure but not this kind. “I have never been faced with putting a dog to sleep before,” he wrote, adding that the experience had left him with a “deep connection” to anyone who’s lost a pet.
The timing is especially heavy as Hamilton navigates his first season in red, a high-profile switch to Ferrari for 2025 alongside Leclerc, as listed on the current F1 entry. The helmet changes, the uniform, the garage — all of that is new. Roscoe, for years, wasn’t. He was the constant, padding into frame while the rest of the world debated lap times and tyre deg.
Grief doesn’t follow a race calendar. It just lands where it lands. And in a sport that churns forward at 300 km/h, Hamilton’s post felt like a deliberate pause — a moment to acknowledge a friend who became part of the fabric of modern Formula 1.
“Thank you all for the love and support you’ve shown Roscoe over the years,” Hamilton wrote. It’s not hard to imagine how much of that there was. Because even if you weren’t on his team or in his fan club, Roscoe had that universal power: he made the paddock smile.
