According to some sections of the media, Lewis Hamilton has kicked off 2012 on the wrong foot.
The former world champion had a tumultuous 2011 season both on and off the circuit but has vowed to return at full speed this year.
But among his first public appearances in the new year is in what Britain’s Daily Mail described on Tuesday as a "garish photoshoot" for the American magazine GQ.
The report said the McLaren driver, who turned 27 last weekend and was modelling the so-called ’layering’ fashion trend, has also "been busy recording an album during the off-season".
"I love it in the States," he is quoted as saying.
"The roads are big, the food is big. If it was possible to be in LA and still live my racing life, I would move now."