He is promising, he has taken the right path, but he needs time to grow. It is no secret that Lewis Hamilton has long been advocating the arrival of Andrea Kimi Antonelli in his place, once the season is over and he has left Brackley to try his last adventure in Formula 1 with Ferrari.
On the first day in Monza, home of the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, the 7-time world champion will ideally accompany Antonelli on the track in the first free practice session, where the young Italian will take George Russell’s place at the wheel of the Mercedes W15.
Even today Lewis has focused on Andrea, spending very nice words for him, but also warning… the fans and enthusiasts: although the blue one promises well, he will need the necessary time to understand the category, extract the maximum from the single-seater despite having a bright future ahead of him.
“I said a long time ago that I think the team should choose him in the future. And time will tell what… what they have not decided to do,” Hamilton said immediately.
“But I think he’s one of those really talented young guys that has come into his own. I mean, he’s a young adult now, but yeah, he’s only 18. So I think it would be good for people to remember that he just turned 18 and he has a bright future ahead of him and I’m really excited to see and watch his progress.”
“I saw a picture of the two of us in 2018, I think, and he was one of the grid boys and I was shaking his hand in front of the grid. So it’s emotional – obviously it reminds you of how old you are when you do these experiences! But I’m looking forward to seeing his growth and his journey in Formula One.”
Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes-AMG F1 Team
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
On a technical level, Hamilton thinks Antonelli shouldn’t be forced to provide feedback to the team. He thinks he should just enjoy the experience despite having already taken part in a program drawn up by Mercedes that saw him take to the track in the 2022 Mercedes ground effect car.
“Whether he can help us with feedback, we’ll find out tomorrow. It’s always good to have more input, for sure. For Kimi, tomorrow, I think it’s just about having fun and entertaining. Tomorrow will be an amazing experience for him. Obviously he’s tried the old car before, but tomorrow will be the first time, I think, that he’ll try the new car, which is much nicer than the 2022 one.”
“It’s definitely going to be all smiles tomorrow, because the difference is drastic. And yeah, the more information and the more input we get, the better. So I don’t know what to expect, what it’s going to bring, but we’ll definitely take that into account,” Lewis concluded.
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