Lewis of Arabia causes stir wearing traditional Arab attire

Reigning F1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton caused a stir when he walked through the Bahrain paddock wearing a kandora, traditional attire of local people in the Gulf region.

The Mercedes driver, who qualified on pole for the Bahrain Grand Prix, arrived in the paddock ahead of the night race accompanied by Abdallah Al Khalifa, the private secretary to the Bahrain Crown Prince.

Hamilton promptly tweeted: "Nothing but love and respect for this culture, and Bahrain!! Feeling royal!"

Many foreigners believe that the kandora is only worn by Arab men of royal blood or sheikhs, but in fact the attire is commonly worn by men from all walks of life in the region.