Lewis Hamilton shows off his tattoos in low-cut shirt and flared trousers as he arrives at the Dutch Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton cut a smart figure in a black long V-neck shirt as he arrived in the paddock for the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday.

The British driver, 38, stepped out ahead of the race in matching flared trousers and eye-catching chunky shoes.

He looked focused as he donned striking black sunglasses and completed the outfit with a silver necklace.

Hamilton was eliminated in Q2 and will start today’s race from 13th, a blow to his recently stated ambition to finish second in the drivers’ standings.

He is currently fourth, 41 points behind Sergio Perez.

Hamilton may have been somewhat hampered by Yuki Tsunoda’s AlphaTauri, although the seven-time world champion blamed his and his car’s under-performance for his shortcomings, not the Japanese driver.

Hamilton told Sky Sports F1 on exiting Q2: “I ended up doing two fast laps and the tires overheated so I couldn’t improve on the last lap.

“Hopefully if the car is heavier we can make progress in the race. It’s not an easy path to progress, but tomorrow is a new day and I’ll do my best tomorrow.’

Elsewhere, Max Verstappen thrilled the home crowd by taking pole position at the Dutch Grand Prix – with a lead of a mile.

After a stop-start, wet-to-dry trial, the world champion did what he did best at the very last minute, setting a time half a second faster than second best Lando Norris, himself an impressive star for McLaren.

George Russell was third fastest for Mercedes and Alex Albon a remarkable fourth for Williams – a triumph for the team under new boss James Vowles.

To the cheers of his orange-clad supporters, Verstappen stood on his car. “A mighty round,” Red Bull team boss Christian Horner sang.

“That last lap was a lot of fun,” said Verstappen, who only managed to take pole once after a few interruptions.

He is now chasing a record-equalling ninth consecutive win in the 72-lap race.