Kimi Antonelli has forced Peter Bonnington to do something he never did as Lewis Hamilton’s engineer

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Peter Bonnington is in unfamiliar territory with Kimi Antonelli at Mercedes, having previously worked with Lewis Hamilton.

Bonnington worked for Mercedes forerunners Brawn GP, where he helped Jenson Button win the world championship in 2009. He then served as Michael Schumacher’s race engineer during his comeback with the Silver Arrows.

However the partnership with Antonelli pans out, ‘Bono’ will always be synonymous with Hamilton above all. They are the most successful duo in F1 history, having won six titles and 84 races together across 12 seasons.

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Peter Bonnington never had to calm Lewis Hamilton down like Kimi Antonelli

When Hamilton arrived at Mercedes, he was already a 28-year-old world champion with 21 race wins under his belt.

But Antonelli became the third youngest driver in F1 history when he succeeded Hamilton at the start of 2025.

In just his second season, Antonelli is competing for the world championship, likely in a direct head-to-head with Mercedes teammate George Russell. The team had to deal with the first major flashpoint in the rivalry at the Canadian GP.

Should Toto Wolff stay off the radio when Kimi Antonelli and George Russell battle?

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Antonelli felt Russell had pushed him off the track when he tried to take the lead early on in the Sprint race, calling the move ‘very naughty’ over the radio.

“Copy that, Kimi,” he replied. “Both [of you] have been advised to drive clean.

Bonnington later advised: “Let’s just keep it cool. Let’s just get this back under control, Kimi. Focus on Norris [in the fight for second]. Focus on the driving.”

“I don’t care,” Antonelli protested. “He pushed me off.”

This prompted Toto Wolff to intervene, by saying: “Kimi, concentrate on the driving please, and not on the radio moaning.”

Antonelli was largely silent on the radio thereafter, but Bonnington continued to manage him delicately: “Kimi, you’re putting in some purple sectors here, so just keep your head down, look forward.”

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While the Englishman had to play the psychologist role for Hamilton at times, like any race engineer, he never had to calm him down in this manner.

Hamilton very rarely got angry behind the wheel, and certainly not to the extent of Antonelli in Montreal.

Given his inexperience, the stakes and the controversial nature of the incident, one can forgive Antonelli for becoming irate. But the radio communication underlines the brand-new challenge that Bonnington faces.

Antonelli is experiencing the highest-pressure scenarios in F1 for the first time, and it’s crucial that Bonnington’s steadying voice can get through to him.