Current championship leader Kimi Antonelli has earned the praise of fans after his interaction with Lewis Hamilton was captured after the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix.
The seven-time champion drove from second on the grid to win his first grand prix with Ferrari, and while Antonelli was forced to retire from the race due to an electrical issue on his Mercedes machinery, he made sure he was there to congratulate the Briton after the race.
After Hamilton overtook Antonelli’s team-mate George Russell in the standings at the Monaco Grand Prix, he has now reduced the gap to the Italian driver to 41 points.
Fans were quick to praise the moment between the two championship rivals. “He is a childhood hero for most of the drivers!” one fan posted on Reddit while another added: “I just hope it stays this way even if they end up fighting for the championship.”
“Class move from Kimi, especially considering how young he still is,” someone else commented, while another wrote: “Class act from the young man, a wise head on young shoulders.”
Further comments included: “He is sad for the DNF but genuinely happy for Lewis”, “He is returning the favour, Lewis always congratulates him,” and “Kimi being happy and congratulatory for Lewis despite his own DNF, he’s a sweet kid.”
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photo by: Jayce Illman / Getty Images
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who finished fourth, was also seen congratulating Hamilton. “The respect across the paddock for Lewis is so amazing to see!” someone commented.
“Max going out of his way to congratulate and people will still say there’s bad blood,” another fan wrote, and another comment read: “It was quite amazing to see the shared respect between all of them. They all clearly know and are impressed by one another’s capabilities.”
The eighth round of the season will be the Austrian Grand Prix from 26 to 28 June.
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