Hamilton gives Antonelli tips to avoid repeat of Monza crash in his car
F1 News
Lewis Hamilton offered Andrea Kimi Antonelli some key advice before his return to the Mercedes F1 cockpit. On practice debut in Monza, the Italian crashed George Russell's car. Hamilton is keen for the 18-year-old to avoid a repeat in his car at the Mexican Grand Prix.
Russell missed the start of the second free practice session in Monza as Mercedes continued to repair his car from Antonelli's crash. The young Italian was looking to impress his home crowd and completed some strong laps early in the session. However, his adventure didn't last long, as he spun off the track and hit the wall hard. He will return to the cockpit this weekend for the second mandatory rookie practice session with Mercedes. This time, he will take care of Hamilton's car.
Is Hamilton worried about Antonelli?
Ahead of the weekend, Hamilton was asked how he feels about Antonelli using his car in FP1. "Kimi is young, and he's learning from his first outing in Monza. We did our briefing together today because he's working with Bono next year. I’m here to support in anyway I can," Hamilton said in Mexico.
"I think what's key is, and as I spoke to him, he doesn't have to set the world alight on the first lap. Just build into it, enjoy it. I told him the track was really dirty early on. Whatever we're faced with, we'll handle, but I don't think we'll have a problem," Hamilton said.
Hamilton has just five Grand Prix weekends left with Mercedes before switching to Ferrari next season. Then, Antonelli will get to drive for Mercedes on a full-time basis alongside George Russell. This weekend, though, Hamilton will return to the cockpit for FP2, where he will take part in a Pirelli tyre test. He will then get an extra 30 minutes at the end to catch up on lost time from FP1.