F1 star Lewis Hamilton: “We must deal with it honestly and learn from it”

After the Mexican Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton was in a mixed state of mind – on the one hand, overjoyed at Kimi Antonelli’s World Championship victory, and on the other, frustrated by his own race. Hamilton finished second at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodríguez, whilst his team-mate Charles Leclerc came fourth. Ferrari could have secured a one-two finish – there’s pretty much a consensus on that within the Scuderia. However, there wasn’t much else to agree on on race day. Hamilton was absolutely livid about a manoeuvre after the start.

After a few hours’ rest and two nights’ sleep, Lewis Hamilton has spoken out via social media with a long message just ahead of this weekend’s Brazilian Grand Prix. Hamilton begins by congratulating Kimi Antonelli on his first world championship title. The pair had already celebrated together on the podium, with Hamilton appearing immensely proud of his successor’s success at Mercedes.

Antonelli’s title: one of Hamilton’s highlights of the year

Hamilton writes to Antonelli: “Being able to follow your journey up close and celebrate with you has been a highlight of my year. You’ve earned this so much – a record that will stand for a long time to come. It was great to see your team at Mercedes celebrating with you. Enjoy this moment, keep your family close to you, and hold on to your passion and energy.”

So much for the positives. Hamilton then turns his attention to his own race weekend, which went anything but smoothly. After the start, the Ferraris were locked in a fierce battle; Hamilton had to swerve to avoid them and lost positions. Overtaking is virtually impossible in Mexico City, and the Briton found himself trapped behind his team-mate Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing, who had slipped through. Hamilton complained loudly over the radio and seemed extremely annoyed.

Hamilton wrote: “Our own weekend was full of challenges. We had to contend with many difficulties, but our mechanics and engineers did an incredible job. We’ve grown so much together this year, and that progress has required enormous effort from everyone – both at the circuit and back at the factory. That’s why it hurts so much to have missed out on a win that was within our grasp. We have to make the most of every opportunity that comes our way; that’s why it’s incredibly frustrating, and I can’t pretend otherwise.”

Topic of the week

World Champion Kimi Antonelli: record-breaker, heart-breaker, the Tifosi’s dream

With his third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix, Kimi Antonelli has become the youngest of the 36 Formula 1 world champions to date. The 20-year-old Italian is on a record-breaking run. The Tifosi are dreaming of Antonelli in a Ferrari.

Mathias Brunner

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Hamilton on the incident with Leclerc

The seven-time world champion: “I know what it takes to create that opportunity for us. The standards the team sets for itself, the standards I set for myself, the standards the fans expect. Everyone deserves to see us at our best and to see us win. We’re all here to race, and we want to win. Fighting is necessary, but if that fight comes at a cost to the team, we have to be honest about it and learn from it. We can push each other to the limit and still live up to our responsibility to all those who have brought us to this circuit.”

Hamilton concluded: “I’ll continue to give everything I’ve got. My belief in this team hasn’t changed, nor has my responsibility to help ensure we get it right. Stay loyal to us. I’m only just getting started with this team, and we’ve still got so much ahead of us.”