Lewis Hamilton reacts to overtaking George Russell for second in F1 world championship

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Lewis Hamilton ‘can’t believe’ he’s now second in the Formula 1 world championship behind Kimi Antonelli.

Hamilton’s second consecutive P2 finish, combined with another non-score for George Russell, sees the spot change hands.

It looked as if the two Mercedes drivers would be in a league of their own in this year’s championship, but now Kimi Antonelli is operating on his own level after five straight wins.

Lewis Hamilton is up to second in the drivers’ standings after the Monaco GP! Where will George Russell finish this year?

Photo by Mark Sutton – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images

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Lewis Hamilton: It’s great to be second, but we’ll struggle to catch Mercedes

Russell retired from the lead of the Canadian GP due to an engine issue, and was in the podium picture in Monaco before receiving a drive-through for failing to serve a prior penalty correctly.

With so little time remaining when Russell pulled into the pits, he was condemned to a 13th-place finish. On that basis, one could argue his current points tally isn’t representative.

Still, Hamilton taking P2 is doubly significant. It’s the first time he’s ranked so highly since the end of the 2021 season, and it also sees him leapfrog Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who crashed out of Sunday’s race.

When Sky Sports interviewer Natalie Pinkham told him he was up to second, Hamilton replied: “I know. I can’t believe that! It feels really great.”

Hamilton is 66 points behind Kimi Antonelli and certainly isn’t thinking about mounting a title challenge of his own. He was gapped by well over half a minute before a safety car closed up the pack.

Still, he’s hoping for new Ferrari upgrades in Barcelona next weekend as he chases his first win in red. The team were seen as favourites coming into the Monaco weekend, but Mercedes demonstrated that they aren’t solely reliant on their engine.

• READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton admits Ferrari’s F1 car is ‘so basic’ compared to Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes

“For next week, hopefully, we’ll be able to add some components to the car to try and close the gap,” he said.

“It’s going to be hard to beat them. They’re on another level at the moment. I’m really happy for them. It’s my old family, my old team. When they’re at their best, they’re very, very, very hard for anyone to beat.”