Hamilton is legally blonde at Monza

World champion Lewis Hamilton appeared at Monza sporting a blonde hairdo and a brazen new tattoo on his neck which he attributes to the current experimental phase of his life.

Writing ion his own column for the BBC, Hamilton explained, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that my new hairstyle attracted a lot of attention when I arrived at Monza for the start of the Italian Grand Prix weekend on Thursday."

"I had it dyed blond a few days ago in Los Angeles. It was just something I fancied doing on the spur of the moment. I am in a very experimental period of my life. I like taking risks, I like trying new things, whether it be style or restaurants or whatever."

"I was at the hairdresser and I just thought: I'm going to try it, let's do it. Zero cares. It's short term. I'll keep it for this weekend and then I'll probably go back next week, and who knows, maybe I'll do something different," added the Mercedes driver who leads the world championship standings ahead of the weekend at Monza.

Hamilton wrote of his new tattoo, "My eagle represents a visionary. I'm a seeker and I'm willing to push the limits of self-discovery and personal freedom. The eagle is a born leader and may become impatient with those who cannot fly as high or as fast."

The Englishman heads into ther 12th round of the F1 world championship with a 28 points advnatgae of his closest rival, teammate Nico Rosberg.