Lewis Hamilton excused from media duties on Thursday at Paul Ricard

Reigning champion Lewis Hamilton has been excused from media duties by his team Mercedes, as the championship leader will be attending a memorial of Karl Lagerfeld, a fashion icon who passed away in February.

The memorial, which will take place in Paris, will celebrate the life of the German who passed away age 85, is called "Karl For Ever", and will feature some of the world's most iconic people in the world of fashion.

Hamilton, who launched his first fashion collection at Tommy Hilfiger last year called TOMMYXLEWIS, has taken a massive interest in fashion in recent years building up to that very collection, which dropped its second line recently.

A Mercedes spokesperson confirmed Hamilton has been excused from media duties to attend the memorial in Paris after the Brit asked for permission to team principal Toto Wolff.