Lewis Hamilton has reached out to give a helping hand to Andrea Kimi Antonelli amid a rough patch in his rookie Formula 1 season with Mercedes.
Antonelli, 18, was launched into the paddock as Toto Wolff scrambled to replace Hamilton, who opted to end his 12-year tenure with Mercedes to go to Ferrari.
And with all the hype behind the Italian racing prodigy, Antonelli had a pretty solid start to the season.
The 18-year-old secured his debut pole position in the Miami Sprint and followed it up with a maiden podium finish at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Canada.
However, the last three races have seen a drastic drop in form for Antonelli, who is seemingly struggling to cope with the upgraded suspension on the W16.
His first-lap crash with Max Verstappen in Austria was followed by two underwhelming 16th-place finishes at Silverstone and Spa Francorchamps, respectively.
Amid this period of intense struggle, seven-time World Champion Hamilton has graciously offered his support to his successor.
“Well, I mean I always let him know that I’m there,” Hamilton told media including Motorsport Week prior to the Hungarian Grand Prix.
“I think it’s always important to let people know they’re not alone, so I let them know that.
“I try not to encroach, like get in the way or anything like that, but just let them know that you can always lean on me if you have any needs.”
Antonelli was visibly frustrated with his recent lack of pace in Belgium. Before the race, Hamilton reportedly even met the 18-year-old and consoled him in Mercedes’ hospitality.
Hamilton believes that while Antonelli has been shoved into the unforgiving paddock at a very early age, he has all the ingredients to carve out a niche for himself in the sport.
“He’s already got an amazing group of people around him, and he’s 18,” he continued.
“I mean, I wasn’t ready at 18. He clearly is, because he’s done a great job this year, particularly the first half of the year, the way he’s jumped in, and I’ve been behind him several times, but he’s clearly got the ability, and it’s just about experience.
“It’s very difficult when you want to succeed, and with all the pressure and everything, it’s sometimes difficult to handle, but I think he’s been doing really, really well, and he’s a really great lad.”
Antonelli hoping to head into summer break on a high
In the build-up to the race weekend at the Hungaroring, Antonelli and Mercedes revealed that the 18-year-old will revert back to an older-spec suspension on the W16 in a bid to recapture the confidence he seems to have lost at the moment.
This decision comes after a reported meeting back at base in Brackley following a string of three pointless finishes for the Italian.
“Yeah, it was pretty underwhelming, to be honest,” Antonelli had told Sky Sports F1 after the 44-lap race last weekend.
“Because we tend to favour the cooler conditions. So we couldn’t have really asked for better weather for us. But we’ve just had no pace recently. We need to sit down, all of us.”
The meeting seems to have brought some new ideas to the table to elevate Antonelli’s confidence and results on track as he bids to head into the summer break on a high.
“We’re going to have a big meeting this week with all the designers and engineers,” he had divulged.
“To sort of understand the decisions we’ve made in recent weeks or months.
“And why we’ve gone backwards. So hoping for some improvements in Hungary.”
READ MORE – Kimi Antonelli reveals uplifting Lewis Hamilton talk amid disastrous F1 Belgian GP
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