There was no sign of Kim Kardashian in the F1 paddock for the Japanese Grand Prix on Sunday, despite the model spending the week in Tokyo with Lewis Hamilton.
The loved-up pair are rumored to have been dating for the past few months, but she is yet to publicly support him at a Formula 1 race – and many thought that would change at Suzuka this week.
Indeed, Kim K spent much of the past week enjoying the sights and sounds of Tokyo, and she was spotted out with Hamilton as the pair’s romance continues to go from strength to strength.
On race day, though, Hamilton was instead spotted with some different A-listers in the F1 paddock, first walking through the VIP area alongside actress Anya Taylor-Joy.
The Queen’s Gambit star is a regular at races around the world and is known to be a close friend to Hamilton, but she is not the famous face many expected to see alongside the Ferrari man this weekend.
In the Ferrari garage, Hamilton shared a tender hug with the British actress, before speaking with various other A-listers who had made the trip to Japan.
Lewis Hamilton was spotted not with Kim Kardashian but Anya Taylor-Joy in the F1 paddock
The Ferrari driver shared a tender embrace with the British actress ahead of the big race
Kardashian was spotted enjoying a romantic date with the Formula 1 star in Tokyo this week
Such is the growing popularity of the sport, Chris Pratt, Jack Black, Keegan Michael Key and Charlie Day were all guests of Ferrari in the paddock for the big race.
On the track, it has been an impressive start to the season for the seven-time world champion, with many joking that his upturn in form is in part due to the presence of Kardashian and the pair’s blooming relationship.
This week, Kardashian brought three of her kids – Saint, 10, Chicago, eight, and Psalm, six – along with her to Tokyo – and the group had a blast go-kart racing together.
The TV personality snapped a selfie of herself wearing a black helmet as well as a red racing outfit, similar to a look that Hamilton has worn while taking part in races across the globe.
It is unclear whether Kardashian has jetted back to the US or elsewhere over the past 24 hours, but rumors on social media claimed she had left Japan on her private jet ahead of the race.
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Does Kim Kardashian’s presence boost Hamilton’s performance or distract from his racing career?
Hamilton and Kardashian (pictured in 2021) are believed to be in a blossoming romance
Hamilton and Kardashian were also spotted watching this year’s Super Bowl together
The reality star and professional F1 racer have known each other for many years – but first sparked romance speculation earlier this year.
Back in late January, the stars were seen checking into an upscale hotel in the Cotswolds.
Shortly after, the pair were spotted at another hotel in the city of Paris – before they grabbed dinner together at Aqua Kyoto.
An insider told Entertainment Tonight at the time, ‘Kim and Lewis are spending more time together and seeing where things are going.
‘They’ve been friends and known each other for years but are now exploring a romantic relationship.’
In February, Kardashian and Hamilton sat next to each other while attending Super Bowl LX.
The SKIMS founder jumped to her main Instagram page on Friday to give fans a glimpse into her getaway to Japan, showing off a helmet similar to Hamilton’s
While exploring the city of Tokyo, Kardashian also turned heads in a figure-hugging white ensemble with her children and sister Khloe
News of the romance is continuing to spread around the paddock, with other drivers even hinting at a rejuvenated Hamilton.
‘Lewis is clearly in a much happier place in life and that is probably because he is loved up,’ his former Mercedes teammate George Russell observed this week.
Hamilton, meanwhile, said of his relative improvement in form: ‘I don’t find it a relief. It is just a change of attitude and not letting all the “BS” that comes out of people’s mouths get in the way of knowing who I am and what I am able to do.
‘Hopefully you saw that in the last two races, and particularly the last one (where he raced wheel-to-wheel with Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc).
The seven-time world champion spent time chatting to actor Chris Pratt in the Ferrari garage
Legendary actor Jack Black was another of the VIP guests with Ferrari for the Grand Prix
Hamilton, pictured with pole sitter Kimi Antonelli, arrived in the paddock wearing bright yellow
‘I will continue to try to show this through the year.
‘I have not lost what I have had regardless of what people write. I will continue to train harder than ever.
‘I ran 100km in Tokyo between races, and I know none of the drivers I am racing against have trained as hard as I am and giving it what I am – especially at my age, too.
‘I love that I still have the drive to push myself. I was at the hotel and several drivers walked in and I had finished my run. I knew they were just getting up. The commitment is there more than ever. I will dedicate absolutely everything I have to this challenge and these cars.’
