Lewis Hamilton says Andrea Kimi Antonelli – his successor at Mercedes – will make a worthy world champion.
Antonelli can clinch the title at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix. He is virtually guaranteed to win the championship, holding a 102-point lead with 150 points available.Hamilton, whose departure from Mercedes at the end of 2024 opened the door for Antonelli to make his Formula 1 debut at the team, has been impressed by the 20-year-old.
“When I was there, I knew who was going to be replacing me,” he said. “Kimi was around the team, following us a lot, particularly in the last year that I was there.
“I think it was the right decision to create an opportunity for a young and up-and-coming driver. Kimi had shown his abilities in the lower categories and his enthusiasm, his charm and his good approach to everything. He was always fitting really well into the environment.
“Getting to work alongside Bono [Hamilton’s former race engineer Peter Bonnington] is such an amazing experience. But they’ve got so many great people in that team, and that’s the reason why they are where they are.
“I honestly have such admiration for what they do and to see them back at the top is no surprise to me because I got to experience it for many, many years there.”
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Antonelli had a difficult first season in F1, scoring less than half as many points as team mate George Russell. Hamilton said he’s shown strength to rebound from that.
“It’s been really great to see his performances this year. It’s massively impressive, and he deserves to be the champion.”
Hamilton was 22 when he made his F1 debut but immediately found himself in contention for the world championship. He narrowly missed out on the title in his first season but won it in his second – a feat Antonelli is now poised to match.
The Ferrari driver said he saw similarities between their first seasons in F1.
“I also had a similar sort of experience when I got to Mercedes, and the same at McLaren. I know that was a question people were asking, whether or not I would be able to deliver, especially alongside a double world champion [Fernando Alonso].
“I see similarities between how my first year and first couple of years went and how Kimi has approached this year. But it’s not something just one individual randomly does. You also have to have those pieces of the puzzle around you, supporting you. I was very lucky to have that at McLaren, and it’s great that he has it there.”
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