In comparison, Hamilton's former team-mate at Mercedes, George Russell, was spotted sporting an IWC Big Pilots Top Gun Edition Mojave Desert watch, which is worth a 'measly' £10,000 compared to Hamilton's luxury wristwear choice.

With F1’s current regulations now in their fourth year, the performance gaps that gave front-runners comfortable advantages are shrinking fast. Teams that were once struggling to keep pace have had enough time with these cars to catch up on the learning curve. (See: Ferrari and McLaren’s surge last year .)

Lewis Hamilton says he is “exactly where I’m supposed to be” after an emotional first day on track in Ferrari’s new car.