Recently, very sad man and NBA player Matt Barnes got thoroughly pwn’d for saying that he and Rihanna were a thing. Nope. Rihanna publicly called Barnes out for the lie. Who has she spent a lot of time with recently? Extra-#blessed two-time Formula One world driver’s champion Lewis Hamilton.
These two have been spotted all over recently. First, they were spotted partying it up at Barbados’ Grand Kadooment Day celebrations. At the time, a anonymous source told E! that Rihanna was still dating soccer player Karim Benzema, and that the two were just friends.
“Close friends?!” asks every jerkwad tabloid out there.
Meh. Everybody’s making a big deal over how close they’re standing, but there isn’t a ton of room at these sort of events anyway.
Plus, Hamilton did plenty of his own thing at this party, including a little dance for his own Instagram.
That’s not Rihanna, either. Rihanna was sporting bigger, fluffier curls for the event:
They later hung out more on a yacht in the Caribbean, once again prodding tabloid rumors about whether Rihanna was the new Nicole.
Romantic whatever or not, dude is living the life.
Yet again, an unnamed source told E! that Rihanna was dating, but “was keeping her options open.”
After leaving Barbados, the two were both spotted leaving the 1Oak nightclub in New York, albeit separately.
Later that week in New York, they were seen arriving to The Griffin within minutes of each other.
The Sun is now reporting this relationship as if it’s a done deal. Yet another unnamed source who is supposedly “close to Rihanna” told them:
They’ve had a flirtation for years and have always fancied each other, but since May this year they’ve been talking a lot. Finally their schedules allowed them to spend a weekend in the same part of the world and they made the most of it.
They are both really busy but Rihanna has asked him to come to Rock in Rio in September so he can see her perform and spend time together.
The Sun’s anonymous source on Hamilton said, “He is a bit infatuated with her and thinks she is not only sexy but incredibly funny, although he knows she has a reputation as a heartbreaker.”
According to The Sun, Hamilton and Rihanna previously were seen together at the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix, and later met at a Monaco club in 2013 during one of the times when Hamilton was separated from then-girlfriend Nicole Scherzinger. A newly single Lewis also sat at Rihanna’s table at this year’s Met Gala. As for Benzema, The Sun reports that he’s moved on to a new girlfriend.
Myth plausible, I guess? Just don’t abuse the girlfriend cutaway shot during F1 broadcasts unless she’s eating a plastic water bottle a la Will Power’s wife during the Indianapolis 500.
Besides, if all this hanging out makes noted Rihanna-beater Chris Brown angry, it must be doing something right. Urban Islandz reports that Brown’s been asking about Rihanna’s relationship with Lewis like a jealous ex. If there’s one person who deserves some good ol’ fashioned misery in his life, it’s definitely Chris Brown.
Either way, it looks like Lewis Hamilton not only has what Matt Barnes can only dream of, but he certainly made the most out of his mid-season break.
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.