Watch: Lewis Hamilton gives Usain Bolt the fright of his life

Usain Bolt is no stranger to speed but the world's fastest runner admitted he thought he "was about to die" as Lewis Hamilton drove him around the Circuit of the Americas.

The pre-race stunt, in a lime-green Mercedes AMG roadcar with No 1 emblazoned on the livery, put the wind up Bolt, with Hamilton saying: "I was on the limit. We nearly crashed several times. I wasn't looking where I was going. Don't do that at home.

"He may be the fastest dude in the world, but I thought I would scare him. He had to retire before risking doing that with me, but it's an honour to have him here."

In a video of the incident, posted to Bolt's official Instagram, the eight-time Olympic champion screamed: "I wasn't ready. You tried to kill me. I made it, but you tried to kill me."

Hamilton completed a couple of laps with Bolt on a day the sport's new owners, Liberty Media, tried to put the Super Bowl into Formula One.

However, it was not without controversy as Stevie Wonder was mysteriously pulled from the pre-race ceremonies, despite Liberty issuing a press release earlier in the week confirming his participation.

The late withdrawal prompted speculation that the singer may have knelt during his rendition of the national anthem in protest over racial discrimination, a trend that started in the NFL but not one Liberty wanted to overshadow the race.

Liberty declined to comment on the change of plan.

Bolt was still involved in the theatrics, sending the cars on their formation lap and striking his famous lightning pose.

After retiring following the World Championships in London in August, when he pulled up with a hamstring injury, the 31-year-old is looking to a future in football, saying: "For me it's a personal goal. I don't care what people think about it. I'm not going to lie to myself. I'm not going to be stupid.

"If I feel I can't do it, I'm going to say, 'You know what, forget this.' I'm not trying to embarrass myself. But if I go out there and feel I can do this then I will give it a try. It's a dream and another chapter of my life."

Meanwhile, Formula One's chairman emeritus Bernie Ecclestone has backed Ferrari team principal Maurizio Arrivabene to stay in post despite the team's errors in recent races that cost Sebastian Vettel vital ground in his title fight with Hamilton.

"I don't see why he should go," said Ecclestone.

"They have been trying too hard. There is nothing massive that has gone wrong; just a lot of stupid little things."

Yet Ecclestone, who turns 87 today, added: "Maurizio is not an engineer. His background is in PR with Philip Morris. It's like being in a hospital and you have a brilliant heart surgeon; it's no use employing him as a dentist. They are different jobs."