Mercedes rookie driver, Kimi Antonelli, has been under a ton of pressure since stepping into Formula 1. The Italian driver has been dubbed the next great thing for years now, but after a solid start to his rookie season, things have gone south.
Antonelli has scored points in just one of his previous seven races, which includes four DNFs as well as a P16 and P18 finish. After the Belgian Grand Prix, Antonelli revealed that Lewis Hamilton gave him some words of encouragement after a rough qualifying session.
Lewis Hamilton lifts Kimi Antonelli up amid a rough stretch of races
Lewis Hamilton was spotted leaving the Mercedes hospitality building before the race on Sunday. He visited with his former team – something he does most race weekends – but also spoke with Antonelli to give him some much-needed encouragement.
“He was telling me to keep my head up,” Antonelli told the media after the Belgian Grand Prix. “That it’s normal to have bad weekends and just keep believing.”
After the race, Hamilton was asked about what he thought of Antonelli’s performance so far this season. Despite some poor results, Hamilton has been thoroughly impressed with Antonelli thus far.
“I can’t imagine what it’s like to be doing what he’s doing at [18],” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “I think he’s been doing fantastic.“
Antonelli has been very hard on himself recently. He says he has no confidence, but hopefully, some words of encouragement from Hamilton can help him regain some of that confidence.
Antonelli looks to turn his season around in Hungary
After the race at Spa, Antonelli told the media that he feels like he’s gone backwards. He has no confidence in the car, which has taken a step back in the last six races, and needs to get back to driving like he was at the beginning of the year.
While Antonelli’s form hasn’t been great, the car hasn’t either. George Russell finished on the podium four times in the first six races, but since then has just one to his name. The Mercedes has not been up to par since Miami, and it’s left both of their drivers struggling.
Luckily for Antonelli, Formula 1 will head to Hungary this weekend before a month-long summer break. This is the perfect chance for Antonelli to get back on track. The Hungaroring is a track he has experience at – he won the F2 race there just last season – and a good result would give him much more confidence heading into the break.
Antonelli’s pace has been on full display at Miami and Canada; he just needs to get his confidence back, and he should be in contention for a solid points haul each week.
