Seven-time Formula 1 world champion Lewis Hamilton on 3 November 2026 publicly congratulated his former Mercedes successor Kimi Antonelli on clinching the 2026 F1 Drivers' Championship, calling the experience of witnessing the 20-year-old's journey and celebrating his title win a personal highlight of the year. Hamilton shared his tribute via an Instagram post, marking a warm moment between the driver who vacated the Silver Arrows seat and the prodigy who inherited it.

Hamilton's tribute to Antonelli

In the post, Hamilton wrote: 'Let me start with a huge congratulations to the new champion, Kimi Antonelli. To have seen your journey so closely and to be there celebrating with you was a highlight of my year. So well deserved and a record that will stand for a long time. It was great to see your team at Mercedes celebrating with you. Enjoy this moment, keep your family close, keep your passion and your energy.'

Hamilton had vacated his Mercedes seat ahead of the 2025 season after signing with Ferrari, a move that paved the way for Antonelli's debut at one of the sport's most storied outfits. The congratulatory message underscored the mutual respect between the two drivers despite their contrasting fortunes this season.

Ferrari's frustrating weekend

In the same post, Hamilton turned to reflect on what he described as a deeply frustrating race weekend for his current team, Ferrari. He acknowledged the car had the pace for what he called an 'easy P1 and P2' but lamented that the opportunity slipped away. 'Our own weekend was one full of challenges. We had a lot thrown at us, but our mechanics and engineers did an incredible job. We've grown so much together this year, and that progress has taken a huge effort from everyone on the track and back at the factory,' he wrote.

He added: 'That's why losing what could've been a win hurts so much. We need to grasp every opportunity we have, so it's incredibly frustrating, and I can't pretend otherwise.'

Opening-lap clash with Leclerc

A key moment that defined Ferrari's difficult race was an opening-lap incident between Hamilton and his teammate Charles Leclerc. The battle saw Leclerc pushed onto the grass, Hamilton lose momentum, and Max Verstappen capitalise by overtaking Hamilton. Leclerc was subsequently handed a 5-second time penalty, compounding Ferrari's woes and extinguishing any realistic chance of a team victory.

Speaking after the race, Hamilton acknowledged that the intra-team clash had effectively cost Ferrari the win. Notably, this kind of costly internal dispute has been a recurring narrative concern for Ferrari across multiple seasons.

Hamilton's message to Ferrari fans

Looking beyond the frustration, Hamilton struck a resolute tone in the closing section of his post. 'I know what goes into giving us that opportunity. The standard the team holds itself to, the standard I hold myself to, the standard the fans expect. Everyone deserves to see us at our best and win... Battling is necessary, but when that battle costs the team, we have to be honest about it and learn from it. We can push each other to the limit and still honour the responsibility to everyone who put us on that track,' he said.

He closed with a pledge of continued commitment: 'I'll keep giving everything I have. My belief in this team hasn't changed, and neither has my responsibility to help us get this right. Stick with us. I'm only just getting started with this team, and we have so much more to come.' With the 2026 season drawing to a close, all eyes will be on whether Hamilton and Ferrari can translate that belief into silverware in the seasons ahead.