Kimi Antonelli was joined by George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who completed the top 3, during his first F1 victory in China. With race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington as the Mercedes representative, it became a real Mercedes reunion on the podium. After the race, Hamilton congratulated the young Italian once again on the win and mused about his own debut victory in 2007. A long time ago, Antonelli joked.
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During the official FIA press conference, Lewis Hamilton again took his moment to congratulate Antonelli. “I’ve already said it, but a huge congratulations to this kid,” he grinned at the young race winner. “It’s great to be standing next to him while he celebrates his first victory. That’s a special moment. I remember well when I got my first win,” mused the Englishman, who won a race for the first time during the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix.
Antonelli interrupted him: “I was one year old then, by the way!” It led to laughter in the press room. “Ha, you were born in 2006, right?” Hamilton asked laughing. “That’s truly absurd. At the same time, it’s also great to see,” he added. “To see young, talented drivers – who really deserve to reach the top – break through is fantastic.” For Hamilton, third place in China meant his first podium finish with Ferrari. He was grateful to be able to share that moment with so many old acquaintances from Mercedes; not only with former teammate George Russell and successor Antonelli, but also with Bonnington, who was his right-hand man at the team for years.
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Complete Mercedes family
“Mercedes has been a very important part of my career,” said Hamilton. “They have basically supported me from day one. Of course, I’ve had a fantastic journey with Mercedes, with the necessary successes, but George (Russell, ed.) and I have also known some difficult years,” he admitted. “That makes it extra special to see them at the top again. It’s a phenomenal team. Because of that, I also know we have to work hard to beat them,” he emphasized. “But it’s great to see George continue to grow in the sport and Kimi break through; especially because he eventually took over my seat. And then Bono, of course, with whom I worked for so long. It feels like I’m sitting here with my whole family, and that’s fantastic!”
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