News: Lewis Hamilton's week of fun

LEWIS HAMILTON plans to reawaken the spirit of James Hunt when he takes part in a week of glamour, women and all-night parties. The Formula One champion will race at the Monaco Grand Prix and then swap the elegance of Monte Carlo for the neon lights of Las Vegas, where he is scheduled to join the Gumball 3000 supercar rally a few days later.

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The event is a magnet for the wealthy and would-be famous, with exotic cars as its centrepiece. Hamilton will hope to have continued his dominance of this year’s F1 season before heading to California where he will drive a supercar — type as yet unknown — on the leg of the event that runs from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, Nevada.

The Mercedes driver has plenty of vehicles to choose from. He owns a bespoke Pagani Zonda 760 LH — named after him — as well as a Ford Mustang Shelby GT 500. He was also seen taking delivery of an £866,00 electric-blue McLaren P1 last month and has ordered a £1m Ferrari LaFerrari.

Having an F1 driver on the grid will help seal what the organisers of Gumball 3000 hope will be a transformation of the event. They want to turn it from a road trip that has often attracted unruly gaggles of drivers into a multimillion-pound international spectacle packed with A-list stars and the latest supercars, winning sponsorship from luxury firms such as champagne houses and watch makers.