Lewis Hamilton exempted from media duties in France

Lewis Hamilton has been excused from his French Grand Prix media duties on Thursday to allow him to attend a memorial event in Paris celebrating the life of fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.

The legendary designer and creative director passed away earlier this year at 85, and Hamilton felt compelled to honor the memory of his friend in Paris.

Permission for the five-time world champion to skip Thursday's proceedings was granted by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff, and Hamilton will make his way to Paul Ricard later today.

The tribute to Lagerfeld, named "Karl For Ever" has been organized by the fashion houses Chanel, Fendi and Karl Lagerfeld, and will feature live performances and the presence of musician Pharrell Williams, dancer Lil Buck, and actresses Helen Mirren, Fanny Ardant and Cara Delevingne.

Last month, Hamilton was also exempted from his pre-race weekend media duties at Monaco following the passing of Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda.

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter