Lewis Hamilton has praised Kimi Antonelli after the 19-year-old became the youngest driver to secure a Grand Prix pole position. Antonelli’s achievement came just over a year after he took Hamilton’s seat at Mercedes. Hamilton is now focused on finding a new approach to challenge Mercedes in the Chinese Grand Prix.
Antonelli’s Record-Breaking Pole Position
Kimi Antonelli broke Sebastian Vettel’s record to become F1’s youngest-ever polesitter on Saturday. Vettel’s record had stood since 2008. Antonelli beat that record by a full 20 months. Hamilton qualified third, behind Antonelli and George Russell.
Hamilton congratulated Antonelli in parc ferme and spoke highly of the Italian teenager in the post-qualifying press conference. “I have to say a big congratulations to this big lad here, to Kimi,” Hamilton said. “It’s an amazing achievement to come into… Well, he took my seat! And he hit it hard from the get-go, so it’s really great to see him progressing and he really deserves it.” He added, “And a great record. It’s going to take a while for someone to ever get close to that one.”
Hamilton’s Strategy for the Chinese Grand Prix
Hamilton is aiming to translate his early pace into a stronger result in the full-length race on Sunday. He wants to keep up with Mercedes for longer. After experiencing tyre wear during the Shanghai Sprint, Hamilton is considering a change of tactics.
“I have to figure out a different tactic tomorrow,” Hamilton told Sky Sports F1. “Today was the first time I was in that battle with the energy deployment.” He added that he made some changes to the deployment going into qualifying, which he hopes will be beneficial for the race.
Toto Wolff, Mercedes boss, told Sky Sports F1, “Many said the kid was too young, the kid was too young to be in a Mercedes, we should have prepared him otherwise.
Antonelli Eyes Victory
Antonelli will be aiming for his first win from the grid this year. He lost ground from second place at the start of both the Australian Grand Prix and the Shanghai Sprint. Ferrari, on the other hand, have had strong starts this season. Hamilton followed Charles Leclerc’s lead from Melbourne by taking the lead from Russell on the first lap of the Sprint and battling with Leclerc.
The Chinese Grand Prix will be live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event at 7am on Sunday, with build-up from 5.30am.