Lewis Hamilton reportedly went to meet Kimi Antonelli pre-F1 Belgian GP after the young Mercedes driver was seemingly crying after qualifying

Lewis Hamilton reportedly paid a visit to the Mercedes motorhome on Sunday to meet Kimi Antonelli and give him a few words of encouragement. The Italian rookie was overwhelmed after being knocked out in Q1 during qualifying for the Belgian Grand Prix on Saturday, and was seemingly crying.

The two biggest names knocked out in both SQ1 and Q1 at the Belgian GP were Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli. The latter has been struggling to find form in recent weeks and was reportedly extremely emotional after another disappointing performance up until Saturday at Spa.

Before the main race on Sunday, F1 photographer Kym Illman snapped a picture of Lewis Hamilton exiting the Mercedes motorhome. It was then reported that the 7x world champion had paid a visit to his former team to show support to Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli was Toto Wolff's driver of choice to replace Hamilton in 2025 as the veteran left for Maranello. The teenager started the season brilliantly and even scored his first F1 podium at the Canadian GP.

But Antonelli has struggled ever since. He crashed out of both the Austrian GP and the British GP, having struggled in qualifying on both occasions as well. Now, the 18-year-old was knocked out in the first part of qualifying for both the Sprint and the main race, and will start Sunday's race from the pitlane.

Both Antonelli and Wolff admitted that the driver needs to reset following a poor run of form coming into the Belgian GP. The rookie is also without a contract for 2026, and an extension has presumably been delayed due to Mercedes' interest in signing Max Verstappen. A clearer picture of who will be driving for the Silver Arrows in 2026 is expected during the upcoming mid-season break post the Hungarian GP.

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Lewis Hamilton also starts the Belgian GP from the pitlane

Lewis Hamilton leaving the Mercedes motorhome at the Belgian GP - Source: Kym Illman/Getty Images]

Lewis Hamilton is all set to start the Belgian GP from the pitlane after Ferrari have fit a new power unit into the back of his car. The Briton had qualified in P16 and has now been given a 60-place grid drop, meaning he has to start from the pitlane.

Hamilton had made it into Q2 during qualifying on his final run in qualifying but his lap time was deleted for exceeding track limits on turn 4. Speaking after the session, the 40-year-old apologized to his team for his error.

"It is what it is. Just really sorry to the team," said Hamilton. [via PlanetF1] "Really hard work with the filming day that we did, and all the preparation, and then you come here and don’t make it through Q1. It’s just, it’s unacceptable. Really sorry," he added.

In addition to Antonelli and Hamilton, Fernando Alonso will also be starting the race from the pitlane for having fit in a new power unit. Williams have also made changes to Carlos Sainz's car after qualifying, meaning that the Spaniard will also join the queue in the pit lane at the start of the race.

Edited by Mitali