Hamilton defends 'fantastic' Antonelli after Spa

Lewis Hamilton has robustly defended Andrea Kimi Antonelli, asserting the young Italian is "doing fantastic" despite a recent run of poor results, including a miserable Belgian Grand Prix weekend. Antonelli, who joined Mercedes for 2025 amidst high expectations and replaced Hamilton, started his F1 career strongly with five points finishes and a podium in Canada. However, collisions and non-scores have since intensified pressure on the 18-year-old. Hamilton, acknowledging his own tough weekend, empathized with Antonelli, highlighting the immense pressure on such a young driver navigating his debut season. He praised Antonelli's composure and the strong support system around him, emphasizing that his former race engineer, Bono, is now alongside Antonelli.