Amid Active Career & Social Justice Commitment, F1 Driver Lewis Hamilton Relaxes in Sweet Thirst Trap

He is thought to be the wealthiest athlete in Britain, and one of the most outspoken. Just last week, Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton signed "a two-year deal worth £80million to drive for Mercedes until at least the end of 2023," the Daily Mail reported.

The driver said of the new contract: 'Mercedes are my family. I have been with them since I was 13 (when they first backed him), so it is really easy to continue... I enjoy working with everyone and there is lots we can do together on and off the track and in the paddock."

He also appeared on the runway last Thursday at the Balenciaga show in Paris, taking snaps with Kanye West and Anna Wintour.

He took time off on Sunday to take a thirst trap for his Instagram followers in which he posed shirtless with his bulldog Roscoe. "In the sun-drenched image, he wore white basketball [shorts] and a pink cap with sunglasses propped on the top," the Daily Mail writes of the photo. "Wishing everybody a happy weekend from @roscoelovescoco and I," Hamilton captioned the snap with a black love heart.

Earlier this year, Hamilton shared a hot video of himself on Instagram showing his progress in becoming fitter. "I've been trying so hard to build more strength and strike a balance of keeping endurance whilst not burning muscle. Consistency has been one factor which like many, I've struggled with. Still got a way to go," he wrote at the time. In the clip, Hamilton can be seen showing off his tight, tattoo-laden physique.

In a second video, Hamilton opened up about how he'd always felt like "a skinny guy," admitting, "Training is a struggle for me, it always has been. There are days when I just don't have the motivation, days I hate my body, days where I feel fat or too skinny."

But Hamilton's interests extend far beyond the racetrack, the runway, and the gym – he's also been involved in addressing issues on racial justice and mental illness awareness. Last year, he set up a commission to increase the representation of Black people in U.K. motorsport. The report published its findings this week.

"Following ten months of research, the Hamilton Commission identified a number of reasons for the lack of representation, ranging from the geographical location of the main motorsport hubs away from Black communities in the U.K. to wider societal issues, including examples of racism within further education and the disproportionate number of exclusions of Black students from schools," reports ESPN.

It stated that "factors within wider society, some of which are systemic in nature, as well as practices within Formula One have been identified as contributing towards a situation in which only 1 percent of employees in Formula One are from Black backgrounds."

In response to the report, Hamilton said, "While I have enjoyed a successful career in motorsport, it's been a lonely path as one of the few Black individuals within Formula One and, after fifteen years of waiting for the industry to catch up, I realised I had to take action myself."

Over the past year, he's been vocal in his support of Black Lives Matter, having worn T-shirts supporting the movement and even raised a fist for Black power after winning last year's Styrian Grand Prix.

The Daily Mail reported that Hamilton "accused other Formula One drivers who refused to take the knee before Grand Prix races last season of being 'complicit' with racism for not taking a stand against the issue and admitted he got emotional when trying tackling the issues."

Still, despite his confident attitude, Hamilton confessed in an interview with The Sports Rush earlier this month that he has joined the many people who have struggled with mental health issues this past year.

Taking to Instagram recently to ask his fans about the state of their mental health, Hamilton shared, "If there's anybody out there struggling right now, I just want you to know you are not alone. I am too having a hard time but I know we are going to get through this."

"You have so much potential in you that you may not even be aware of. You have so much to give to the world. You are special and unique, there is nobody like you, no matter what anybody says," he added.

"Be bold, be strong, be you, you are beautiful in every way, let's be great together. Hope our paths cross someday, in this life or the next. I'm sending you love and light and positivity for your weekend."

In an earlier shirtless Instagram photo post of him wearing hot pink pants, Hamilton reminded fans, "No matter what they say, be you!"