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Dog's life? Lewis' pampered pooch

MELBOURNE, Australia - A dog's life in Formula 1, if your owner is Lewis Hamilton, means a VIP pass to the races and being pampered by the sport's chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

Hamilton, 2008 champion who moved from McLaren to Mercedes at the end of 2012, has acquired a bulldog called Roscoe which accompanied him to the last pre-season test in Barcelona.

BERNIE THE POOCH-SITTER

Lewis said he asked Ecclestone for a paddock pass for his "new best buddy" and had sent him a photograph of the puppy wearing a set of headphones.

Ecclestone said: "He has - and, yes, he will get it. I am a huge fan of bulldogs. I've told him that I would also be happy giving the dog a pass for the grid. And I will be happy to look after the dog while he is racing."

Animals are usually banned from racetracks, for safety reasons more than for their own welfare, with stray dogs causing problems in the past at some venues.

In the US, the Ganassi IndyCar team has a bull terrier mascot called "Bullseye" that 's attended race weekends, among them the Indy 500 winner's news conference with Dario Franchitti in 2012.
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