Kimi Antonelli has revealed the extent of the conversation that he had with Lewis Hamilton during his struggles at the Belgian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver had one of his worst weekends during his rookie F1 season, amid pressure to improve his results as the team fights for second in the Constructors’ Championship.
Although Antonelli has scored 43% of the points that George Russell has achieved, the 18-year-old was visibly upset after failing to progress beyond Q3 in qualifying for the race at Spa Francorchamps.
He would go on to finish in 16th place, his worst result since the Monaco GP, while capping off a string of pointless results apart from his podium in Canada.
Before the race on Sunday, Lewis Hamilton was spotted at the Mercedes motorhome where he had a chat with Antonelli amid his struggles. Now the Italian has revealed the extent of the chat when speaking to Canal+ F1.
Photo by Kym Illman/Getty ImagesKimi Antonelli reveals ‘open’ chat he had with ‘great human’ Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton denied that he specifically went to see Antonelli when asked by Viaplay after the Belgian GP, but the Italian went on to confirm that he did meet to give some support after a tough weekend.
“Lewis is a really great human. He’s always been very supportive on my side,” said Antonelli.
In Spa, we had a chat and I was very open to him, talking about my situation and how I was feeling, especially in this difficult period, and he was right there.
“He gave me some advice in order to try and overcome these difficult moments. It was very helpful. I was really grateful and I really appreciate that from him.”
The seven-time world champion was also seen giving Antonelli some words of encouragement in the TV pen after the Belgian GP.
READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats
Max Verstappen confirms 2026 Red Bull plans amid Mercedes speculation
Antonelli’s struggles come at a precarious time for Mercedes, amid the rumours that Max Verstappen was seeking a move to them as early as the 2026 season.
Russell confirmed that talks between Mercedes and Verstappen were taking place, but with the caveat that these are always happening in the F1 paddock.
Speaking to F1 TV in the media pen at Hungary, Verstappen decided to end speculation: “I think it’s time to basically stop all the rumours. And for me, it’s always been quite clear that I was staying anyway.”
Neither Russell nor Antonelli is confirmed for 2026 at Mercedes, but Verstappen confirming his plans will likely accelerate talks. The question will be the length they agree on and whether it leaves a gap for Verstappen to fill in the future.