Lewis Hamilton has defended Kimi Antonelli, insisting his substitute at Mercedes has “been doing fantastically” regardless of a latest drop-off in kind.
The Italian teenager, who turns 19 in August, made a powerful begin to his Components 1 profession as he completed within the prime six in 5 of his first six grands prix, however has scored factors in simply one of many seven races since.
Antonelli confirmed a flash of the touted brilliance that noticed Mercedes fast-track him into one of many sport’s most fascinating seats by claiming his maiden podium end in Canada in June, however a collection of errors since then have resulted in a lack of confidence that seemed to be spiralling on the Belgian Grand Prix over the weekend.
After Antonelli had appeared tearful on Saturday night having been knocked out in Q1 at Spa, Hamilton visited the teenager on Sunday morning and was additionally seen speaking to him in the course of the drivers’ parade and after the race, by which he completed sixteenth.
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Kimi Antonelli appeared downcast after being knocked out in Q1 throughout qualifying on the Belgian GP.
Requested by Sky Sports activities F1 about his go to to Antonelli, Hamilton stated: “I can not think about what it is like at 18 to do what he is doing. I believe he is been doing fantastically.
“To be thrown in on the deep finish at 18. He did not even have his driving licence when he first began racing in F1.”
“It is so much on somebody’s shoulders. I believe he is doing an amazing job.”
Antonelli was drafted in as George Russell’s team-mate after Hamilton made a blockbuster change to Ferrari following 12 seasons with Mercedes.
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Lewis Hamilton gives to assist Kimi Antonelli together with his Mercedes contract negotiations!
The 18-year-old inherited Hamilton’s long-time race engineer Peter (Bono) Bonnington, who was a key determine within the Brit’s traditionally profitable interval with the Silver Arrows.
Hamilton added: “He (Antonelli) has acquired an amazing group of individuals round him.
“You simply should take it in your stride, which I believe he’s, and he is acquired Bono beside him, so he could not have anybody higher.”
Mercedes put Antonelli struggles right down to ‘troublesome automotive’
Antonelli’s latest struggles have coincided with a relative drop-off in efficiency for the workforce as an entire, with Russell having failed to complete inside the highest 4 on the three races since his victory in Canada.
The upgrades that Mercedes have added to their automotive over the early phases of the summer season seem to have failed to supply the specified impact, which head of trackside engineering Andrew Shovlin defined is certain to bother Antonelli greater than Russell.
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Experience onboard with Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli and Pink Bull’s Max Verstappen as they collide within the Austrian Grand Prix.
Talking after Sunday’s race in Belgium, Shovlin stated: “I believe what you have seen within the latest qualifyings is that George is leaning on his a few years of expertise in an F1 automotive to attempt to profit from a troublesome automotive in the case of qualy.
“Kimi hasn’t acquired that to drop again on, and that is most likely why you have seen a little bit of a shift in his outcomes lately.
“Nevertheless it goes again to the truth that we have to resolve that drawback as a result of there’s nonetheless an extended technique to go this 12 months. It’s fairly seemingly one thing that we have modified on the automotive, and we simply have to get again to a baseline the place it is working extra usually.”
Antonelli’s hunch in kind has come as a shock to many because of the spectacular kind by which he started his debut marketing campaign, with a fourth place in Australia adopted up by sixth-placed finishes in 4 of the following 5 races.
There was additionally a maiden pole place as he topped Dash Qualifying in Miami to intensify pleasure over the karting sensation’s potential.
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Anthony Davidson takes a more in-depth have a look at Kimi Antonelli’s maiden pole within the Miami GP Dash qualifying.
Explaining why his performances have dropped off, Shovlin added: “Kimi’s on a steep studying curve and he will be getting higher as a driver.
“The truth that his early performances have been higher than they’re now could be virtually definitely that the automotive is just not as aggressive, and you’ll see that mirrored in George’s outcomes.
“We have seen it a number of occasions earlier than as properly, when a younger driver is available in they usually’re in an excellent automotive, they’ll usually actually impress. When a younger driver is available in they usually’re in a troublesome automotive, it is very exhausting to get it collectively week in, week out.
“We have seen sufficient from Kimi to know that there is an excessive amount of expertise there, however what’s going to assist George will even assist Kimi, and it’ll most likely assist Kimi extra.”
Rosberg: Mercedes ought to verify Antonelli’s 2026 contract now
Former world champion Nico Rosberg believes uncertainty over Antonelli’s future with the workforce may very well be contributing to his struggles and that Mercedes ought to instantly verify his seat for 2026.
The Mercedes futures of each Antonelli and Russell have appeared unsure amid the workforce’s continued makes an attempt to signal Max Verstappen, though most now imagine the reigning world champion will stick with Pink Bull for not less than the 2026 season.
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Qualifying highlights from the Belgian Grand Prix on the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamp.
Sky Sports activities F1 pundit Rosberg, who gained the world championship for Mercedes in 2016, advised The F1 Present: “The workforce must help him as a lot as attainable.
“Why not even simply already verify his contract additionally for subsequent 12 months? Worst case [scenario] is it goes actually fallacious, you may at all times nonetheless get out of it. Simply giving him confidence and time to make progress.
“Kimi is certainly a generational expertise. He confirmed it all through in karting, with the expertise on the degree of Verstappen and Hamilton. It is the psychological state that issues additionally.
“While you begin having slightly little bit of a spiral, with just a few too many errors, slightly little bit of a scarcity of tempo right here and there, that begins to spiral a bit negatively. He is simply in that in the mean time, and it is a actually troublesome scenario and hard to look at.”
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