Formula One legend Lewis Hamilton this week sparked romance rumours after being seen having lunch with Sofia Vergara.

The 40-year-old, who will race for Ferrari when the new F1 season begins in March, was seen dining with the Modern Family star in New York.

Hamilton and Vergara, 52, were reportedly seated next to each other at the table, where they were joined by friends.

Observers claimed that Sofia hardly ate any of the food in front of her as she was so engrossed in the conversation, according to TMZ.

Outside the restaurant, she and Lewis could be spotted grinning broadly and chatting with one another before she slipped into an SUV and left.

Both of the celebrities appeared to be in bright spirits as they spoke to one another on the sidewalk after the lunch, which is said to have lasted two hours.

Hamilton, 40, and Vergara, 52, had reportedly sat with each other during a two-hour lunch

The F1 legend has been linked with a number of high-profile romances during his career

The lunch has fuelled rumours of a potential romance between Hamilton and Vergara, with the actress becoming the latest high-profile name to have been linked to the F1 legend during his career.

Hamilton had famously been in an on-off relationship with Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger from 2007 until their final split in 2015.

The F1 star had met Scherzinger at the MTV EMAs in 2007 and were together for 20 months but split for the first time in January 2010, before later reconciling.

They then split again in late 2011, before giving their relationship another go in early 2012.

They called time on things once again in July 2013, which prompted Scherzinger to break down in tears during her time on the X Factor judging panel. By February 2014 things were back on, before their final separation the following year.

The reason for the final split had been put down to the pressures of a long-distance relationship, with Hamilton frequently travelling as part of the sprawling F1 circuit.

‘I’m devastated that it didn’t work out. It was the hardest decision we had to make, but we made it together,’ Scherzinger said in 2015.

‘We wish nothing but happiness and the very best for one another.’

Hamilton famously had a seven-year on-off relationship with Pussycat Dolls star Nicole Scherzinger

Hamilton and Scherzinger split and reconciled on multiple occasions before officially ending their relationship in 2015

Hamilton admitted he had learned from the high-profile nature of the relationship, and claimed in 2022 that he was ‘happy on my own.’

‘I learned the hard way, I learned the hard way,’ Hamilton said. ‘I haven’t talked about it much. I’m really just super focused on work.’

Hamilton has largely tried to keep his personal life under wraps ever since, but he has been linked with several high-profile stars.

Prior to his relationship with Scherzinger, Hamilton was confirmed to have dated model Danielle Lloyd for six months in 2002, and Jodia Ma over a four-year period between 2003 and 2007.

‘We were both out with friends, but there was a bit of a spark and we swapped numbers,’ Lloyd revealed in 2007. ‘After that I went back to Liverpool and he lived in London but we stayed in touch.’

Ma and Hamilton had met at the Cambridge School of Arts and Science during the early stages of his career. Ma had been studying event management at the time.

Despite their relationship ending in 2007, Ma was present when Hamilton became world champion for the first time the following year.

Hamilton was linked with numerous high-profile names after his split from Scherzinger.

Hamilton was previously linked with supermodel Gigi Hadid after being pictured together in 2015

The F1 star distanced himself from reports that he had dated singer Rihanna back in 2015

Hamilton, pictured with Rita Ora at London Fashion week in 2017, had been linked to the singer after holidaying with the star the previous year

He played down reports of romances with supermodel Gigi Hadid and Kendall Jenner, after being pictured with both multiple times in 2015.

Hamilton insisted he was good friends with both, an assertion he also made when he was rumoured to have been dating Rihanna.

The reports surfaced after Hamilton and Rihanna had been seen together in Barbados at their national carnival.

‘You know, I’ve known Ri for a long time,’ Hamilton said in 2015. ‘We’ve been friends for a while. We get to hang out every now and again.’

There has also been unconfirmed speculation connecting him to such names as Rita Ora, Winnie Harlow, Barbara Palvin and Nicki Minaj.

Hamilton had been pictured leaving Ora’s apartment in 2016, having holidayed together earlier that summer.

Ora had also been seen supporting Hamilton at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in November that year.

Hamilton quashed rumours of romances with Harlow and Palvin in 2017, when he was quizzed on the The Ellen DeGeneres show about his love life.

Hamilton (L) and Winnie Harlow attend the 2018 CFDA Fashion Awards

Nicki Minaj and Sofia Richie have previously been linked with the legendary Formula One driver

‘You are quite the ladies’ man! Your reputation is ya’know… well you know who you’ve been with,’ Ellen had told the star, while showing a series of photos of Hamilton with famous women.

‘You’re single now, or… well you won’t be honest with me! Are you with somebody now?’

Hamilton responded ‘No I’m not. I was in a long-term eight-year relationship, so I’m focussed on my racing and trying to win the championship this year.

‘I don’t have any plans [for romance].’

His rebuttal followed links to Harlow, who suffers from the skin condition vitiligo, after they had been pictured leaving the GQ Men Of The Year Awards together in 2017.

In 2021, Hamilton was said to have ‘grown close’ to model Camila Kendra, after he posted photos wearing his shirt in his Colorado home.

It was claimed Hamilton and Kendra had been friends for several years, but it became ‘more romantic’, with the model seen sharing photos in Hamilton’s house, which included an image of one of the trophies from his glittering career.

Reports the following year claimed the relationship had ‘cooled off’.

Hamilton was pictured with his arm around Shakira’s waist in 2023, sparking romance rumours

Hamilton was linked to Kanye West’s model ex-girlfriend Juliana Nalu after the pair were seen leaving a party together in December 2023

More recently, Hamilton was linked to Shakira, having been seen with the singer on several occasions following her split from ex-partner Gerard Pique.

In 2023, Hamilton and Shakira had enjoyed boat trips together with friends in Miami, and dined in Barcelona after Hamilton’s second place at Grand Prix in the city.

Shakira had also been pictured at Silverstone the same year, as Hamilton finished third at the British Grand Prix.

The relationship status was later clarified, with the pair claimed to have a ‘beautiful friendship.’

Hamilton was soon the subject of rumours of another reported romance, after being spotted leaving a party with Kanye West’s model ex-girlfriend Juliana Nalu in December 2023.

The pair had been pictured together at a pre New Year’s Eve party in the coastal resort of Transcoso, Brazil.

Nalu had previously made an appearance at the Miami Grand Prix paddock earlier that year.

It was reported last March that Hamilton had split up with the Brazilian model and joined the celebrity dating app Raya.

It was claimed during the Australia Grand Prix, Hamilton had his settings on the app reading ‘visiting Melbourne from Monaco’.