Lewis Hamilton has congratulated Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the 18-year-old secured a historic first pole position during Sprint Qualifying in Miami.
The Italian driver, who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes after the 7-time-champion set his sights on Ferrari, delivered a stunning lap time of 1:26.482 at the Hard Rock Stadium to become the youngest pole-sitter in Formula 1 history – albeit for a sprint race.
Reacting to the moment after sprint qualifying, the Mercedes driver shared his excitement.
“I did not see that coming. I felt the lap was good and I was happy with it,” he explained during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast.
“There were still a few bits I could have done better but I was super happy with how I put all the sectors together. I will enjoy this moment but focus on tomorrow because it would be good to repeat that result.
“McLaren, Ferrari and Red Bull have strong race pace but we are pretty close. It will be important to have a good start, then set a good pace without degrading [the tyres] too much.”
Commenting on his progress, he added:
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
“Every weekend I learn massively. Last week, having a break really helped me to gather information and process it all and recharging the batteries, it was really good.
“The whole qualifying I felt I was able to make a step lap by lap. I’m much more aware of how to do a consistent warm up and extract more out of the tyres but there’s a lot to improve.
“Every weekend I get more confident with the car, can play with it more and explore the limits. At the same time, I can understand more from the set-up and give much better feedback which allows the team to improve the car.”
Following Antonelli’s breakthrough moment, Hamilton took to Instagram to share his support for both his replacement and his former team. “Amazing lap @kimi.antonelli, so happy for you guys @mercedesamgf1!” the seven-time champion wrote on his Instagram Story.
Hamilton’s message to Antonelli and his former team comes after an illustrious 12-year stint with the Brackley outfit, during which he won six of his seven world titles.
The Miami Sprint Race is set to take place on Saturday, 3 May at 12:00 local time.
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