Kimi Antonelli’s beautiful pole place in a soaked Miami GP Dash Qualifying left the paddock buzzing — and drew a heat response from none aside from Lewis Hamilton.
Talking after reposting Mercedes’ emotional storage video that includes race engineer Peter Bonnington (aka “Bono”), group principal Toto Wolff, and Antonelli, Hamilton opened up about what the second meant to him.
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“I noticed the video of Bono, Kimi, and Toto and it simply introduced heat to my coronary heart,” Hamilton . “Truthfully, I’ve been in that group for a very long time. Bono is simply, you already know, the very best.”
“And I do know there have been lots of questions round whether or not or to not tackle a extra skilled driver. To then simply proceed to work laborious and get a pole — it form of silences all of the critics. I like to see that in an underdog. Such an important story,” he added.
Kimi Antonelli celebrates after ending third throughout Miami GP qualifying.Sam Navarro-Imagn Photographs
At simply 18, Antonelli turned one of many youngest drivers to take Formulation 1 pole. He then delivered an unbelievable efficiency within the Dash race in chaotic, moist situations that caught a number of veterans out, together with Charles Leclerc who crashed in the course of the formation lap.
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Hamilton added that he hadn’t seen the race begin but however acknowledged simply how troublesome the situations have been. “We haven’t had any operating within the rain right here… that was positively a really, very robust state of affairs,” he mentioned. “To have the 2 quickest proper beside you is all the time robust.”
As for recommendation? Hamilton stored it easy: “Proceed to do what he’s doing. I feel he is aware of what he’s doing — simply proceed to take pleasure in it.”
Antonelli’s second didn’t simply encourage Mercedes — it impressed one of many sport’s greats.
