"Batman wasn't there, so I took my shot" - Lewis Hamilton's hilarious exchange with George Russell about Jennifer Lopez

In a hilarious exchange with Mercedes teammate George Russell ahead of the Imola Grand Prix, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton claimed he took his shot with American pop star Jennifer Lopez as her husband, Ben Affleck, wasn't around. The Mercedes duo were doing fan interactions before the all-important qualifying session on Saturday (May 18) and was asked about his interaction with her.

Hamilton and Lopez were recently present at the 2024 Met Gala on May 7 and sheepishly spoke about his admiration for the Latin pop star.

In a clip floating on social media from the fan interactions at Imola, the British driver said:

"J-Lo, I told her how much I loved her."

To which Russell instantly replied:

"She's married!"

But Lewis Hamilton continued and pointed out:

"I just told her the whole story of like I fell in love with her as a youngster. You know, she's beautiful!"

George Russell hilariously reverted:

"I'm sure her husband really appreciated that."

To which Hamilton concluded:

"Batman wasn't there, so I took my shot."

On the racing front, the Mercedes driver had a positive Friday practice session. He finished just a couple of tenths behind his future Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc and showed some decent pace around the Imola circuit.

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Lewis Hamilton analyzes his Friday practice sessions at the Imola GP

Lewis Hamilton stated that he was satisfied with his performance in the FP1 and FP2 sessions, where he finished P7 and P4 respectively.

As per F1.com, the 39-year-old said:

"It’s been a good start to the weekend. We had a productive day and were able to run all three compounds. The balance of the car felt good, and I had a positive feeling out there. Several other teams look quick, in particular McLaren and Ferrari, but we’re a lot closer than we have been so far this season."

However, he was cautious about his chances heading into the qualifying session on Saturday as the team has managed to improve the performance of the W15 after bringing the upgrades, adding:

"We’re not getting ahead of ourselves though so let’s see how tomorrow goes. I am really grateful to everyone back at the factory for working so hard to bring these updates. We are seeing improvements in the car and our performance is on track."

Lewis Hamilton finished the final practice session in P17 with a time more than one second slower than Oscar Piastri's P1 lap. However, the Mercedes driver could not showcase his one-lap pace as the Red Bull of Sergio Perez crashed at Turn 15.

Heading into the qualifying, he and the German team are a bit blind about where they stand in the pecking order compared to the rest of the grid.