Lewis Hamilton pays tribute to Kimi Antonelli immediately after winning the Chinese Grand Prix

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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton has sent a message to an emotional Andrea Kimi Antonelli after the Mercedes driver won the first race of his Formula 1 career.

Antonelli made history by becoming F1’s youngest pole sitter, beating his Mercedes teammate George Russell by two-tenths of a second.

There was chaos before the race even started, with four drivers failing to make it onto the grid, but Kimi Antonelli drove so well that he might not have even been aware of what was happening behind him.

Kimi Antonelli becomes the second youngest Grand Prix winner in F1 history! The first of many for the youngster? 🤔

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The Ferrari drivers once again made a rapid start, meaning Antonelli had to do some overtaking to get back to the front of the grid.

However, once he was clear of Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc, the timing of the safety car meant that he had a gap to George Russell and the two Ferrari drivers.

Hamilton was quick to congratulate the 19-year-old Italian, who became the first driver from his country to win a race since Giancarlo Fisichella.

READ MORE: Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton’s life outside F1 from net worth to family

Lewis Hamilton sends message to Kimi Antonelli after winning the Chinese Grand Prix

During his post-race interview with David Coulthard, Hamilton was asked about the race and said: “Well, firstly, I have to say a huge congratulations to Kimi. I’m so, so happy for you, buddy.

“And I’m so honoured to be able to share this moment with him. He took my seat, obviously, at this great team. So big congratulations to Mercedes.

“They’re really pulling ahead at the moment. We’ve got a lot of work to do to try and keep up. But I had so much fun. We had a great start. I wasn’t able to keep these guys behind, but to stay in the fight, it’s one of the most enjoyable races that I’ve had in a long, long time, if ever.

“The fact that the cars are the way they are this year, and that battle at the end with Charles was awesome. A great wheel-to-wheel battle, very fair, and just what we want.

“We’ve got to keep pushing.”

Hamilton also praised the number of fans in the crowd in Shanghai, and they got to witness history as Antonelli became only the second teenager in Formula 1 history to win a Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli

Emotional Kimi Antonelli revels in winning the Chinese Grand Prix

Antonelli was in tears when interviewed by Coulthard after the race, and asked about the experience, he said: “I am speechless, I am about to cry, to be honest. Thank you so much to my team for helping me achieve this dream…

“I am super happy. I wanted to bring Italy back on top and we did it today.”

Toto Wolff suggested that nobody should get ‘carried away’ when interviewed by Sky Sports after the race when he was asked about Antonelli potentially being in the championship conversation.

Although that may be the case, with Russell picking up 18 points as runner-up in Shanghai, the gap between the two drivers is only four points ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix…