With just two races left in 2024, F1 fans have one eye out on the upcoming campaign, which will see Kimi Antonelli make his F1 debut. The 18-year-old will join Mercedes and partner up with George Russell, who labeled him as a ‘kid’ during a recent fan segment — something which didn’t sit right with Lewis Hamilton.
Hamilton, Russell’s outgoing teammate, said that being 26, he had no right to label Antonelli (18) as a kid. “I can tell you’re a kid because I’m way ahead,” the 39-year-old said, with a laugh.
The seven-time world champion joked about Russell aging, insisting that time would catch up with him faster than it did with himself. “Trust me, when you get to my age, you will be grey already,” Hamilton said, to which Russell admitted that he already had a ‘few grey hairs’.
| @GeorgeRussell63 on Kimi Antonelli:
“Kimi’s a great kid. Great driver. He’ll be super fast.
“He’ll have his own car next year as well. So, no problems there.” *laughs*
#ItalianGP #DriversParade #F1 pic.twitter.com/AWvWrKZaff
— Team George Russell (@TeamGR63) September 1, 2024
Russell added that he would love to know his secret, and Hamilton replied, “Black don’t crack”, which was met with huge cheers, laughter, and applause.
Funnily enough, this wasn’t the first time Hamilton had said these exact words to his soon-to-be former Mercedes teammate. Ahead of the 2023 US GP, talking about his on-track inferiority to Hamilton (at the time), Russell spoke about doing something wrong, since he had more wrinkles than Hamilton, who was 13 years older. The Stevenage-born driver responded, “Black don’t crack”.
Last few days of intra-team banter
Soon, Hamilton and Russell won’t be joking with each other as frequently, at least in Mercedes gear. Hamilton will leave the Brackley-based squad and shift base to Maranello to represent Ferrari, with whom he will be looking to win his eighth World Championship.
The last three years at Mercedes were not easy, with the team’s slump limiting Hamilton almost every race weekend. While Ferrari hasn’t exactly been breaking records in this duration, Hamilton — and most of the F1 community — saw them as better candidates for the championship with the 2026 regulation changes on the horizon.
Meanwhile, Antonelli is gearing up to make his mark with the Silver Arrows. Widely regarded as one of the most talented drivers in junior formulas, his F1 debut is highly anticipated, and great expectations await him in the years to come.
