Kimi Antonelli details Lewis Hamilton’s pre-race Mercedes visit at Belgian GP

Kimi Antonelli revealed that Lewis Hamilton paid him and his former team a visit ahead of the F1 Belgian Grand Prix.

Antonelli was chosen as Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes for the 2025 F1 season following the seven-time world champion’s shock decision to leave the team.

The Italian has shown flashes of pace during his rookie F1 season.

Antonelli took pole for the Miami sprint race with an impressive lap.

He also scored his first podium at the Canadian Grand Prix.

However, Antonelli has struggled for form since the start of the European season.

It has coincided with Mercedes’ dip in form, with George Russell finishing on the podium just once in the last seven races.

Speaking after the race at Spa, Antonelli was asked about his chat with Hamilton ahead of the race in the Mercedes hospitality.

“He came to say hi to the team, and definitely, we had a couple of words,” Antonelli said.

“He was telling me to keep my head up and that it’s normal to have bad weekends. And just to keep believing. It was really nice.”

Hamilton was asked about Antonelli in his post-race interview with Sky Sports.

Hamilton conceded that it’s a lot on his shoulders, given he’s 18, but said he’s “doing a great job”.

“I can’t imagine what it’s like at 18 – or try to imagine what it’s like at 18 – to do what he’s doing,” Hamilton explained.

“He’s been doing fantastic. But to be thrown in at the deep end at 18… he hadn’t even had his driving licence when he first started racing.

“I think it’s a lot on someone’s shoulders. He’s doing a great job and he’s got a great group of people around him. So, I think you’ve just got to take it in your stride, which I think he is.

“And he’s got Bono [race engineer Peter Bonnington, who formerly worked with Hamilton] by his side. He doesn’t have anyone better.”

Another tough weekend for Antonelli

The Belgian GP was one to forget for Antonelli, ultimately.

He was knocked out in Q1 in the two qualifying sessions.

“Those few laps where I was in free air I definitely had a lot more fun,” he reflected.

“Then being stuck is quite frustrating, because you can’t really unleash the real pace you have. Once I was stuck, I was two seconds slower all of a sudden.

“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.”