Lewis Hamilton’s dog Roscoe, is a name synonymous with the seven-time World Champion today. He has achieved celebrity status among F1 fans, so every time he makes an appearance, the spotlight falls on him. Now, Hamilton’s future teammate Charles Leclerc will know what it is like to live under the shadow of his new pet.
Leclerc and his girlfriend Alexandra Saint Mleux adopted a dog last month and named it Leo. Still only a puppy, Leo is a golden retriever and his debut on Instagram turned heads from all over the world.
On Saturday, Leo made his first F1 appearance alongside Leclerc at Imola.
this is where i stand and this is where ill stay ↕️ pic.twitter.com/wxeGpTpevk
— leo leclerc saint mleux (@leoleclercc) May 18, 2024
The cameras were running behind the Ferrari driver to get a peep at Leo and the entire paddock was obsessed with him. Similar to how Roscoe got all the attention when Hamilton brought him to races.
Noticing his pet’s popularity, Leclerc said,
“Now Leo has got more support than me. I mean, he’s the star of the show wherever he goes. He definitely made my life better. He’s got the pass, he’s got everything! He’s the best.”
“now leo has got more support than me. i mean, he’s the star of the show wherever he goes. he definitely made my life better […] he’s got the pass, he’s got everything! he’s the best”
— clara (@leclercsletters) May 18, 2024
Hamilton is set to be Leclerc’s teammate from 2025 onwards, which coincides with the timing of Leo’s arrival in the latter’s family. If both Roscoe and Leo make appearances together on the Ferrari pit wall, the focus could shift away from these two star drivers altogether.
However, Leo Leclerc still has a long way to go before he can come close to Roscoe’s level of fame.
Roscoe’s achievements in the world of social media
Roscoe has been with Hamilton since 2013, and became a familiar sight in the paddock. Today, he doesn’t travel as much due to his old age and Hamilton’s hectic schedule. But online, his following shows no sign of diminishing.
The likes of Gigi Hadid, Sophie Milner, Naomi Schiff and Carmen Mundt (George Russell’s partner), all follow Roscoe’s Instagram account, which has over a million followers.
Roscoe also made an appearance in online gaming. When Fortnite launched the Lewis Hamilton skin, Roscoe came as an added customizable, one could carry around in a game.
Bizarrely, Hamilton revealed how Roscoe gets a lot of attention from girls as well.
“He gets a lot of DMs from others, like dogs. A lot of girls want to mate with him. That’s my dream actually, to have puppies, Roscoe puppies.”
Lewis on Roscoe : “He gets a lot of DMs from others, like dogs. A lot of girls want to mate with him. That’s my dream, actually to have puppies. Roscoe puppies.” #AusGP #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/9Dcgwi8HCi
— Sir Lewis Updates (@LH44updates) March 23, 2024
Because of Roscoe’s immense popularity, it will take some for Leo Leclerc to catch up. However, if he keeps visiting the track regularly, it won’t be long before Leclerc’s golden retriever too, becomes a well-known F1 figure.