Kimi Antonelli reveals Lewis Hamilton pre-race pep talk after qualifying low point

Kimi Antonelli opened up about Lewis Hamilton's pep talk following the Belgian GP qualifying. The Silver Arrows driver, who qualified in P18 on Saturday, received words of wisdom from the seven-time world champion, as the latter visited the former at the Mercedes motorhome.

The 2025 Belgian GP turned out to be a race to forget for Antonelli, as the Italian star was out in SQ1 in the Sprint Shootout on Saturday. He could not improve much in the Sprint and had to settle for P17.

On Saturday, he was out again in Q1 as he was nearly four-tenths slower than the driver in P15. As a result, he suffered back-to-back first qualifying exits in two days, something that kept his confidence in check.

However, Hamilton, who also faced the Q1 exit on Saturday after his final flying lap times were deleted, had other ideas. He arrived at the Mercedes motorhome to uplift Antonelli's mood with a supportive pep talk.

Antonelli, speaking about what Hamilton told him:

“He was telling me to keep my head up and that it’s normal to have bad weekends." (via Autosport)

Mercedes signed rookie Kimi Antonelli to replace Lewis Hamilton at Brackley, after the British driver decided to part ways with Toto Wolff's team and join Ferrari. With this, Hamilton left Mercedes after 12 long years, where he claimed six of his seven F1 titles.

Despite the talk, Antonelli's performance in the race on Sunday did not improve as the Mercedes man ended his day in P16. He started from the pit lane after a component change in his car, but ultimately came home without a point.

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Lewis Hamilton opened up about the pressure on Kimi Antonelli's shoulders.

Lewis Hamilton touched upon the extreme pressure Kimi Antonelli has been going through at Mercedes. For a driver who's driving in his rookie season, replacing Hamilton was not easy.

Kimi Antonelli of Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton on Ferrari at the F1 Grand Prix of Belgium - Source: Getty

“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 said. “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," he further added. (Via Motorsports.)

Currently, Kimi Antonelli is in P7 in the Drivers' Championship with 63 points after 13 races and three Sprints. His teammate, George Russell, is in P4 with 157 points. Mercedes are in P3 in the Constructors' Championship with 220 points.

Edited by pranavsethii