ligfest or lovefest

So Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 Monaco F1 Grand Prix on Sunday and declared it the highlight of his career.
Bless.
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During the podium ceremony the television cameras panned around the masses of grinning McLaren mechanics, lingering on Hamilton's father Anthony and brother Nicholas who were understandably overjoyed at Lewis' win. Standing next to them was Puff Daddy/P Diddy/Diddly Squit (or whatever he's decided to call himself this week) giving it large with the tough-guy rap-star hand gestures, basking in reflected glory.
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Earlier, during his pre-race gridwalk, Martin Brundle chanced upon the only one who could sing in the Pussycat Dolls - it wasn't particularly hard for her to catch his eye, what with the frontless/backless dress she was spilling out of. It turns out that she was there as a guest of Lewis Hamilton (although Martin was convinced she was his new girlfriend). So, not only was there major rap star and international business conglomerate P.Diddly as a guest of Hamilton, there was also a Pussycat Doll there as a guest of Hamilton. I swear at a previous race, perhaps not this season, there were countless shots of Anthony Hamilton in the pits watching the race alongside his apparent best mate rap star Pharrell Williams.
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I find it a little hard to take Lewis Hamilton's 'ever so 'umble "I grew up on a Stevenage Council Estate and I'm really normal, just ask all my normal mates who I hang round with all the time doing normal things" ramblings when I see him rubbing shoulders with International Superstars at grands prix. Rumour has it that he also invited Daniii Minogue along to the Monaco Grand Prix whilst also "dating" an International Supermodel. Look, you're either a normal bloke who just happens to be a successful motor racing star, or you're an international jetset playboy who rubs shoulders with the rich and famous; you can't be both, Lewis me old mate.
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It makes me wonder whether he would get the same attention from all these international global megastars if he was just a token black guy tooling around the back of the grid in an uncompetitive car. I can only think that the answer would be "no". He'd probably have minor celebs who are already F1 fans hanging around with him, but not people as Internationally famous as P.Doddy and *ahem* her out of the Pussycat Dolls.
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So who's doing who the favour? Is Lewis helping their profile by inviting them to the enormous schmooze-fest that's the Monaco Grand Prix - or are they just ligging off him because he's a successful black guy in a sport awash with obscene amounts of money, where image is everything in the paddock (not necessarily on the racetrack - just look at Robert Kubica's hairstyle or Nick Heidfeld's beard) and hanging around with the top guys guarantees you a good time at someone else's expense? Are they raising his status by associating themselves with him? Is it all just one great big horrendously artificially shallow, false, mutual ego-wank where no-one comes out of it looking all that good?
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I think we all know the answer to that last question.