Hamilton Supports Antonelli After Spa Elimination: “Keep Your Head Up”

Antonelli Reveals Hamilton’s Motivational Talk at the Belgian Grand Prix

Andrea Kimi Antonelli revealed that Lewis Hamilton visited him at Mercedes to offer words of encouragement before the Belgian Grand Prix. The 18-year-old young driver, visibly affected after being eliminated in Q1, received support from Hamilton, who left the team to join Ferrari this season.

“He came to greet the team and we definitely had a few words. He told me to keep my head up and that it’s normal to have bad weekends, and to keep believing. It was very nice for me.”

Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Antonelli admitted that his rookie season has experienced a “step back” since his first podium in Formula 1 at the Canadian Grand Prix in June.

Gabriele Lanzo/Alessio Morgese/NurPhoto via Getty ImagesThis year has been a whirlwind for the young driver, who passed his driving test and has been dedicating himself to his school exams at his mother’s insistence. By joining Mercedes, Antonelli has entered the team where Hamilton achieved most of his success in Formula 1, with his time between 2013 and 2024 being the most successful for a driver in the same team. Hamilton, 40 years old, also had a difficult week at Spa-Francorchamps and apologized to Ferrari after finishing the race in seventh place, while his teammate Charles Leclerc achieved a podium.

• Spa: Risks too high to risk safety in the drama in humid weather.
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After the race, Hamilton expressed to Sky Sports F1 his admiration for the performance of his replacement at Mercedes.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to be doing what he’s doing,” said Hamilton, referring to Antonelli’s age.

Lewis Hamilton

“I think he’s done fantastically. Being thrown into the pool at 18 is… he didn’t even have a driver’s license when he started racing, so I think that’s a lot of responsibility for someone and I think he’s doing a great job. And he has a great group of people around him. He has Bono [Hamilton’s former race engineer, Peter Bonnington] by his side, he couldn’t have anyone better.”