LONDON, Sept. 29 -- Ferrari F1 driver Lewis Hamilton said goodbye to his beloved English bulldog Roscoe in an emotional social media post.

He wrote: "Lost my best friend last night. Thank you all for the love you've shown him over the years. Roscoe forever."

Roscoe had been a fixture at Hamilton's events and was often seen with the sportsman in the paddock.

Hamilton had even skipped a Pirelli tire test last week after Roscoe was taken ill with pneumonia and had slipped into a coma.

Just last Friday he had asked fans to keep Roscoe in their thoughts, sharing the the dog had been admitted and sedated.

"He was admitted into hospital and sedated to calm him while they did checks on him and during the process his heart stopped.

"They man...