Celebrating with you was a highlight of my year: Hamilton praises Antonelli for 2026 title
New Delhi, Nov 3 (IANS) Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton heaped praise on his Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli for winning the 2026 title, as he shared a special social media post for the 20-year-old.
Hamilton, who was replaced by Antonelli in his Mercedes seat after the Brit moved to Ferrari in 2025, called watching Antonelli’s journey and celebrating his title win a highlight of his year.
“Let me start with a huge congratulations to the new champion, Kimi Antonelli,” Hamilton wrote in an Instagram post. “To have seen your journey so closely and to be there celebrating with you was a highlight of my year. So well deserved and a record that will stand for a long time. It was great to see your team at Mercedes celebrating with you. Enjoy this moment, keep your family close, keep your passion and your energy.”
Meanwhile, the Ferrari driver further expressed disappointment with his own team’s weekend, where they missed what he felt was an “easy P1 and P2” with the pace the car had.
“Our own weekend was one full of challenges. We had a lot thrown at us, but our mechanics and engineers did an incredible job. We’ve grown so much together this year, and that progress has taken a huge effort from everyone on the track and back at the factory.
“That’s why losing what could’ve been a win hurts so much. We need to grasp every opportunity we have, so it’s incredibly frustrating, and I can’t pretend otherwise,” he added.
The Brit had an opening lap battle with teammate Charles Leclerc, which saw Leclerc pushed into the grass and Hamilton losing momentum and conceding a position to Max Verstappen. Leclerc was later handed a 5-second time penalty as Ferrari lost out on a chance to win.
Speaking after the race, Hamilton reasoned that this battle made them lose the race.
In his social media post, he further reflected on the tough weekend. “I know what goes into giving us that opportunity. The standard the team holds itself to, the standard I hold myself to, the standard the fans expect. Everyone deserves to see us at our best and win. We’re all here to race and want to win.
“Battling is necessary, but when that battle costs the team, we have to be honest about it and learn from it. We can push each other to the limit and still honour the responsibility to everyone who put us on that track.
“I’ll keep giving everything I have. My belief in this team hasn’t changed, and neither has my responsibility to help us get this right. Stick with us. I’m only just getting started with this team, and we have so much more to come,” he added.
–IANS
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