Lewis Hamilton has confessed that he doesn’t derive any extra satisfaction from outperforming his younger rivals.
His admission comes while 17-year-old Kimi Antonelli is being tipped to potentially replace the Brit at Mercedes. Seven-time Formula One champion Hamilton, who is the second-oldest driver on the grid after Fernando Alonso, continues to be a strong contender for podiums and victories, as shown by his recent form with two wins in the last three Grand Prixs.
Hamilton, who is 13 years senior to his Silver Arrows team-mate George Russell, 26, will have the same age difference with Charles Leclerc, whom he will join as a team-mate at Ferrari next year. This leaves a racing seat open for next season at Mercedes, with teenager Kimi Antonelli being the hot favourite to ascend to F1, reports the Express.
In an interview with Esquire, Hamilton was asked if he experiences a “particular pleasure” when defeating his younger competitors – a scenario he could find himself in if Mercedes boss Toto Wolff decides to promote the teenager from their junior team for the upcoming season.
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Responding to the question, Hamilton said: “Not particularly. I’m super competitive naturally. I don’t care who it is. I just want to win”. He added that when he wins a race, it’s his team that he thinks about rather than the accomplishment of outdoing his rivals on the track.
“When I won the other day, I didn’t think anything about anybody else. I just thought about my team. I thought about people that were with me. People that have sacrificed their time away from their families. People who were giving that extra bit of time in their day when they could have left early to go home and see the kids, and they’ve given that extra time to build these parts that got us that result. That’s who I think about.”
SPA, BELGIUM – JULY 27: Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy and PREMA Racing (4) looks on in the Paddock prior to the Round 10 Spa-Francorchamps Sprint race of the Formula 2 Championship at Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps on July 27, 2024 in Spa, Belgium. (Photo by Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Andrea Kimi Antonelli of Italy looks on prior to the Spa Sprint race of the Formula 2 Championship back in late July ( Image: Joe Portlock – Formula 1/Formula Motorsport Limited via Getty Images)
Fresh off the back of his emotional victory at last month’s British Grand Prix, ending a gruelling 945-day winless run, Hamilton opened up about his battle through times without a win, and credited his triumph to sheer perseverance. “It’s been mostly a battle of the mind,” he reflected.
