09/08/2025 08:20
Lewis Hamilton has reflected on how he "wasn't ready" for F1 at 18
years of age, whilst coming to the defence of Kimi Antonelli. The
British driver, who stepped up to the championship aged 22,
insists, however, that the Mercedes teenager is ready for Formula
1, despite a torrid run of form. Antonelli scored the first point
in Europe of his F1 career at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, but
had endured a painful spell prior to that, with just his maiden
podium in Montreal to show from the previous seven rounds. That
came after a promising start to life in the W16 alongside George
Russell, having taken five 10 top finishes in the opening six
events - and sprint pole in Miami. It was an ill-fated rear
suspension upgrade, however, that curtailed the Italian's strong
opening salvo, which Mercedes eventually moved off from at the
Hungaroring. The weekend before the Brackley-based squad rowed back
on that update, at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton went to see
Antonelli at his former team. When asked about that visit and his
thoughts on the 18-year-old's recent struggles, the seven-time F1
drivers' champion explained how he tries to support the driver in
his old seat. "I always let him know that I'm there," Hamilton told
media, including RacingNews365 . "I think it's always important to
let people know they're not alone. "And so I let him know that, try
not to encroach, get in the way, or anything like that, but just
let him know that you can always lean on me if he ever needs - he's
already got an amazing group of people around him, so..." Using
himself as a point of reference, Hamilton highlighted how well
Antonelli started the campaign, and that it is merely a case of
building experience onto the foundation of his ability. "And he's
18. I mean, I wasn't ready at 18," the Ferrari driver added. "He
clearly is, because he's done a great job this year, particularly
the first half of the year, the way he's jumped in... "So he's
clearly got the ability, and it's just about experience. It's very
difficult when you want to succeed, with all the pressure and
everything, it's sometimes difficult to handle. "But I think he's
been doing really, really well, and he's a really great lad."
