Hamilton reveals concern for his bulldog Roscoe

IMOLA, Italy - Seven times world champion Lewis Hamilton spoke of his anxiety on Thursday -- not about how he might fare in his first Formula One race in Italy as a Ferrari driver but the health of his elderly bulldog Roscoe.

The pet has accompanied the Briton through six of his title seasons with Mercedes, even attending races with his own paddock pass and travelling by private jet, and has 1.2 million followers on Instagram.

Hes 12-and-a-half years old so hes an old boy, Hamilton told reporters ahead of the weekends Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola circuit.

He had pneumonia, but hes fine now. But definitely this is a time where every time I get a text message from the lady whos looking after him, my heart stops for a second. You know, whats next?

I really want to try and bring him to Silverstone (in July) and take him to Monza (in September) and cheer him up, added the winner of a record 105 races.

I was with him before Miami (the race before Imola). He still wants to play. He still has that kind of spirit but he sleeps a lot.

Hamiltons season so far has seen the high of winning the Shanghai sprint race but the lows of failing to finish better than fifth in six regular starts.

His last race in Miami was tinged with sarcasm as he suggested Ferrari should take a tea-break in a tetchy radio exchange over team orders.

Ferrari, the sports oldest and most successful team, are fourth in the championship and 152 points behind champions McLaren.

Theres a lot of hype out there, a lot of expectation of course, he said of the atmosphere at Imola, the nearest F1 circuit on the calendar to Ferraris Maranello factory. But that comes