Lewis Hamilton's first Monaco Grand Prix as a Ferrari driver has been marked by an awkward moment during a fan event.
The seven-time world champion hesitated when presented with a Mercedes cap to sign, before moving away without autographing it.
The incident, which occurred prior to Friday practice, was captured on video shared by the official F1 account on Instagram as Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc made their obligatory appearance at the fan zone.
Interestingly, while Hamilton declined to sign the teal Mercedes cap, he was happy to autograph a separate white cap featuring his personal 'Still I Rise' logo.
Lewis Hamilton refused to sign a Mercedes hat while doing autographs
The reluctance may have been due to Ferrari's commercial partnerships, as the Scuderia are outfitted by Puma, while Mercedes now have a deal with Adidas.
Hamilton might have noticed the logo and decided against potentially upsetting his new partners at Ferrari during his first Monaco weekend in the famous scarlet red.
Monaco has been a mixed hunting ground for Hamilton during his Mercedes career.
He claimed victory twice in his 11 visits with the Silver Arrows. His first Monaco triumph came in 2016, benefiting from a disastrous pit stop that cost Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.
Hamilton's only win from pole position at the iconic street circuit came during his dominant 2019 championship campaign, when he held off Sebastian Vettel to take the chequered flag.
Despite Hamilton's move to Ferrari, Mercedes have arguably performed better this season.
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The Silver Arrows currently sit second in the constructors' standings, 33 points ahead of Ferrari, and have secured four podiums compared to Ferrari's single top-three finish.
George Russell has thrived in his new role as team leader at Mercedes, while rookie Kimi Antonelli has made a positive impression.
At Ferrari, Hamilton is comfortably winning the intra-team battle against Leclerc, though the Monegasque driver has admitted he's learning from Hamilton's discipline.
Hamilton has made it clear that racing for Ferrari feels "uniquely special" - comments that might not sit well with his former Mercedes team.
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LEWIS GOING FOR THE MERCEDES CAP THEN TAKING A PAUSE THEN NOT SIGNING IT 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/cswYQ46Xvz
— sim (@simsgazette) May 23, 2025
The Tifosi have already embraced him as one of their own, particularly evident at Imola last weekend where he delivered an impressive performance.
At his first race in Italy as a Ferrari driver, Hamilton showed his class by climbing from 12th on the grid to finish fourth.
Monaco now presents another opportunity for him to secure his first podium in Ferrari's iconic scarlet red.
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