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Thousands of race fans got a glimpse of British Formula 1 sensation Lewis Hamilton during his guest appearance at Brands Hatch on Sunday.

Hamilton admitted he was surprised with the huge interest in his visit, which almost overshadowed the main DTM event, as he drove his McLaren on a series of demonstration laps.

“Last time I came here I was a nobody and it’s quite a huge difference to come here and see how much support I have,” he said.

“There were so many people wearing my team’s caps and my caps and my shirts. It’s phenomenal and I love seeing that.

“It was a really eventful day and I was so surprised to see how many people were there.”

Hamilton’s appearance ensured that Brands was packed for Sunday’s DTM and the queue to receive an autograph from the world championship leader appeared endless.

“The difficult thing was that there were so many people and there is only one of me and I can’t reach out to every single person individually or sign every single autograph,” he said.

“I just try to do my best and in terms of inspiring kids. They can see what I do, they can see my dedication and if they watch closely they can see what I do and why I do so well. I hope I inspire people to do well.

“I remember coming through the ranks and driving on the track and I would never have imagined been here driving a Formula 1 car round it. To have all these people wearing my caps and my shirts and giving me the support I feel very blessed.”

Hamilton watched the DTM race from the pit wall as Audi driver Timo Scheider led from start to finish to take the win.

“Normally I don’t get the opportunity to watch another race,” he said.

“It was a close race. There is never much overtaking going on here - that’s Brands Hatch for you. It’s such a difficult place to overtake and there’s only 44 seconds per lap.”