2008 F1 champion Lewis Hamilton this morning entertained thousands of people who gathered at Malta International Airport as he raced a McLaren Mercedes F1 car down a taxiway.

Fans were impressed by the high speed, noise and braking capabilities of the car.

As he was driving, Hamilton occasionally waved at the crowd.

He later joined Vodafone officials as they handed a donation to President George Abela for the Community Chest Fund.

Hamilton then took President Abela on a hot lap in a Mercedes road car.

Several vintage cars did not turn up for the event, organised by Paqpalli Ghall-Istrina, because of the adverse weather.

Making light of the “Raise the Game” theme of sponsor Vodafone, President Abela joked on stage before Hamilton’s press conference: “Mhux ‘Raise the Game’, raise the funds,” in reference to the Community Chest Fund.

Hamilton climbed into the seat of the McLaren MP4-26 F1 again for another performance on the taxiway in the afternoon to the delight of the cold but cheerful crowd.

Earlier, Hamilton had given an interview to The Times, which will be published in tomorrow’s newspaper.

British High Commissioner, Robert Luke, who hails from the same county as Hamilton, told timesofmalta.com: “We have seen today is that he is a very down-to-earth person who has connected with the Maltese people and it was great that he could come here to Malta.”

Other highlights of the day were a race on the runway between an Air Malta plane and a Ferrari Berlinetta, as well as an acrobatic show from stunt-bike rider Zoltan.

Picture: Emma Tranter - mynews@timesofmalta.com