Lewis Hamilton is approaching the end of his Formula 1 career. He will be 41 years old by the time his Ferrari contract ends.
Reports suggest Hamilton’s contract contains the option for a further year. That relies on both parties being satisfied, which isn’t guaranteed after a deeply underwhelming start to their union.
Speaking at the Canadian GP, Hamilton stressed that he intends to stay for ‘several years’. With Fernando Alonso still delivering at 43, he could yet sign another F1 contract.
But it’s clear that retirement is on the horizon for the most successful driver in the sport’s history. And speaking on Sky Sports’ F1 Show podcast, former teammate Nico Rosberg says a symbolic successor has already arrived.
Nico Rosberg rates Kimi Antonelli’s potential compared to Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton’s Mercedes replacement, Kimi Antonelli, scored his first F1 podium in Montreal. He executed a fine first-lap overtake on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and then defended expertly against the championship leader in the closing stages.
Still only 18, Antonelli became the third-youngest driver to finish on the podium after Max Verstappen and Lance Stroll. And Rosberg believes he can go on to win multiple world championships.
The 2016 world champion signed Antonelli to his karting team, so he’s seen what he can do up close. Consistent qualifying pace is all that’s ‘missing’ in his impressive rookie season.
Antonelli became the youngest pole-sitter in any F1 format when he set the pace in Miami Sprint qualifying. But he trails the established Grand Prix winner George Russell 9-2 in the overall head-to-head.
“Kimi drove in my go-karting team, so I can say what a generational talent he is,” Rosberg said. “He can be of the level of Verstappen and Hamilton, because that was his speed in go-karting.
“For a young driver, mentally, these milestones are so important. You can see, ‘Wow, I can do it, I can be on the podium in F1’, especially after a couple of difficult weekends that he had.
“He had three really rough weekends in a row. He’s still missing a little bit in qualifying. His race pace seems to be really strong, because he was always there, he was always really close to Max [in Canada].
“He’s still missing something in qualifying, which is surprising to me. He’s only once so far on one lap shown the brilliant pace that we think he’s capable of. That was just Miami – never, ever elsewhere have we seen the brilliant pace.
“I hope he can find some more there. We know he’s up against one of the top two, three of this generation currently in F1 on one lap. Of course, it’s an extremely hard benchmark, but I’d still like to see a little bit more there.”
Valtteri Bottas stunned by one thing Kimi Antonelli has done at Mercedes in 2025
As Rosberg mentioned, Antonelli had been enduring a tricky run before the Canadian GP. He retired from his home race at Imola after a Q2 exit, then crashed in Monaco qualifying before finishing 18th.
Another DNF in Spain made it three races without a point, but he made an emphatic return to form. Mercedes are now second in the constructors’ championship, which reflects well on his output as a newcomer.
Mercedes admitted that Antonelli had lost ‘enthusiasm’ amid his reliability issues. Toto Wolff, though, has largely managed the teenager well this season.
While they hyped him up furiously through the media last season, Valtteri Bottas says Antonelli caught Mercedes by surprise with his Miami heroics. That’s one of a handful of moments this year where he’s displayed his ‘generational’ talent.
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