Even after a disappointing P7 end in Dash Qualifying, Lewis Hamilton took a second to have a good time a rising star—his Mercedes successor, Kimi Antonelli. The 18-year-old Italian shocked the paddock by clinching pole place for the Miami Grand Prix Dash, turning into the youngest driver in F1 historical past to attain pole in any format. Antonelli’s lap of 1:26.482 edged out McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by simply 0.045 seconds.
Hamilton, now racing for Ferrari, shared his pleasure on Instagram, , “Wonderful lap, Kimi[Antonelli], so blissful for you guys[Mercedes]!” It was a cultured nod to {the teenager} who moved into his former seat at Mercedes this season.
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Antonelli’s pole is just not solely a private milestone but in addition a big second for Mercedes as they’ve been struggling to carry out. The achievement is much more spectacular contemplating the younger Italian’s restricted expertise in F1, having joined the Silver Arrows in 2025.
Mercedes group boss Toto Wolff praised the younger driver’s progress, emphasizing the importance of the achievement no matter it being a dash pole.
Kimi Antonelli after successful the pole throughout Miami Dash Qualifying.Peter Casey-Imagn Photographs
Wolff elaborated on the group’s choice to combine Antonelli immediately into Mercedes bypassing a preparatory 12 months at one other group, as many had . “We had been keen to take that threat even when it meant errors. And now we’re being rewarded for our braveness. We all the time mentioned there can be errors. However he’s saved growing steadily and hasn’t made these errors, although they are going to come in some unspecified time in the future. However the mileage he’s put in is now paying off, and that’s what’s permitting him to carry out at this degree.”
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Reflecting on Antonelli’s speedy ascent, Wolff added, “This younger man – only a few years in the past, he was standing subsequent to me within the storage, eyes broad, taking all of it in. It looks like that was solely yesterday. And now, the pace he’s exhibiting is unimaginable. He does not even know the monitor but, this was the subsequent large step. It might solely be a ‘mini pole’, however you’ve obtained to take it when it comes.”
Because the F1 world turns its consideration to the Dash race, all eyes can be on Antonelli to see if he can convert his historic pole into a powerful end. For Hamilton, the second serves as a passing of the torch, celebrating the subsequent technology of expertise poised to make their mark on the game.
