Lewis Hamilton believes Kimi Antonelli could potentially drive for Ferrari one day, although the seven-time world champion does not expect Toto Wolff to allow the Italian to leave Mercedes anytime soon. Speaking during Thursday’s press conference at Monza, Hamilton praised the young championship leader and also predicted that he should recover rapidly from the back of the grid in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix.
Hamilton arrived at Monza on Thursday as one of the main attractions, making a memorable entrance behind the wheel of a Ferrari F40. Yet the Briton knows the Italian crowd will not be focused exclusively on him, even though he is currently the higher-placed Ferrari driver in the championship standings.
Lewis Hamilton discusses a possible Kimi Antonelli Ferrari future
The support at Monza is likely to be divided between several major figures. Charles Leclerc continues to enjoy enormous affection from thousands of Ferrari supporters, while Kimi Antonelli carries the additional appeal of being Italy’s home driver and leading the World Championship.
The unusual dynamic surrounding Ferrari, Kimi Antonelli and the Tifosi at Monza has become one of the major talking points of the Italian Grand Prix weekend.
It was therefore natural for Hamilton to be asked about Antonelli during the Thursday press conference at a weekend that is effectively a home event for both Ferrari and the Mercedes driver. Asked whether the two could one day form an attractive pairing at Maranello, Hamilton suggested it was possible in the longer term, but certainly not something he expects to happen soon.
“Antonelli at Ferrari? Anything is possible. There are actually a lot of great drivers who could come here in the future. I think Ferrari is Ferrari. Italians support Ferrari, in my opinion. Then obviously Kimi is still in the early stages of his career, and Toto is not going to let him go anytime soon,” Lewis Hamilton commented.
Hamilton expects Antonelli to recover quickly from the back at Monza
Antonelli is not expected to start Sunday’s race as an immediate threat to Ferrari because he will line up from the back of the grid. Hamilton nevertheless believes his former team’s performance advantage over much of the field should make the recovery relatively straightforward.
“If we look at his performances and the gaps between the teams, you have the leading teams and then there is a big gap to the rest. So even starting from the back, with the power he has available and the performance he has, Kimi should come through very quickly. I think it will be easy for him to finish between sixth and eighth.”
The Italian’s progress and championship campaign can also be followed through the latest Kimi Antonelli Formula 1 coverage.
Lewis Hamilton praises Antonelli’s work and Mercedes support
Hamilton’s assessment went beyond predicting Antonelli’s Monza recovery. The Ferrari driver believes the Italian deserves the results he is achieving and highlighted the strength of the team surrounding him, particularly race engineer Peter Bonnington, better known as Bono, who worked with Hamilton for many years at Mercedes.
“Kimi deserves what he is getting. He is doing an amazing job this year and he also has a great team around him. He has Bono, who I know very well, who is consistent, stubborn and knows how to point him in the right direction.”
Hamilton also believes Antonelli benefited from his period working behind the scenes at Mercedes before becoming a full-time Formula 1 driver. During that time, the Italian was able to observe the working methods of Hamilton and George Russell.
“Kimi also worked in the background within Mercedes when I was still there, so he saw what George and I were doing, and I think he is putting into practice what he learned during those years,” Hamilton concluded.
For Hamilton, the Italian Grand Prix will therefore also provide an opportunity to reassert the gap between master and pupil on track and recover some championship points. The seven-time world champion remains one of the central figures of Ferrari’s home weekend, with all of his latest developments available through our Lewis Hamilton Ferrari coverage.
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