The emerging talent, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, disclosed that Lewis Hamilton offered him words of encouragement after the Formula 1 competitor’s disappointing qualifying performance at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Antonelli was bested by Mercedes colleague George Russell in qualifying for the eighth consecutive instance on Saturday, again failing to advance beyond Q1 as he secured 18th position, trailing the British racer by 0.355 seconds.
The 18-year-old Italian visibly expressed his dissatisfaction with the outcome when he reluctantly arrived at the media area following his Q1 elimination, but he received unexpected support from seven-time world champion Hamilton.
“He stopped by to greet the team, and we certainly exchanged a few words,” Antonelli shared. “He advised me to stay positive and acknowledged that experiencing challenging weekends is typical. He emphasized the importance of maintaining belief. It was genuinely appreciated.”
Arguably the most recent rookie to compete for a leading team upon debut, having joined McLaren at 22 years of age with considerable success in 2007, Hamilton again empathized with his younger counterpart when Sky Sports F1 proposed he might understand what Antonelli is undergoing in that circumstance.
“I struggle to envision what it must be like at 18 – or attempt to imagine the experience at 18 – to accomplish what he’s achieving,” Hamilton asserted. “He has been performing remarkably. But to be thrust into the deep end at 18… he hadn’t even obtained his driver’s license when he initially began racing.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
“I believe it places a significant burden on someone’s shoulders. He’s executing admirably and benefits from a superb team of individuals surrounding him. Therefore, I believe one must simply accept it in stride, which I believe he is doing.
“And he has Bono [race engineer Peter Bonnington, who previously collaborated with Hamilton] at his disposal. There isn’t anyone superior he could have.”
Antonelli initiated the main Spa-Francorchamps race from the pitlane as the team endeavored to resolve his confidence concerns by equipping him with a high-downforce rear wing. The intention was to enhance the stability of his W16; this did somewhat assist the Mercedes driver in feeling more at ease, although he struggled to achieve substantial advancement and ultimately finished 16th.
“During those limited laps where I was in unobstructed space, I undoubtedly had considerably more enjoyment,” he stated, having spent the majority of his race amidst traffic. “Being obstructed is rather aggravating, as you cannot fully unleash the actual pace you possess. Once I was impeded, I suddenly became two seconds slower.
“It was tricky, but I think I shouldn’t be starting that far back. I think I need to work on my qualifying and work to get the confidence back with the car in order to start more at the front. Because in those races where I started more at the front, it was a completely different story,” the one-time podium finisher concluded.
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