Hamilton praises Antonelli’s maturity in handling F1 demands

Before the United States Grand Prix, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton said Kimi Antonelli had taken Formula 1’s demands in his stride, describing the Mercedes driver as “a relatively old soul in that young body, I would say.”

Antonelli was 18 when Mercedes chose him to replace Hamilton, who left for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season. Hamilton said the young Italian had spent time around the team during Hamilton’s final year there and called it the right decision to give an up-and-coming driver the opportunity.

Hamilton said the weight of an F1 seat extends beyond racing to appearances and other commitments. He believed Antonelli had handled that burden well, praised his 2026 performances and said he deserved to be champion.

Hamilton also said he knew the support Antonelli would have at Mercedes from his own years there. The Italian inherited Hamilton’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington, and Hamilton praised the work and talent across the team.