Lewis Hamilton told Kimi Antonelli has shown ‘precisely’ why the Ferrari driver keeps getting worse

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Lewis Hamilton’s childhood dream of becoming a Ferrari F1 driver has proven to be an utter nightmare ever since he left Mercedes to move to Maranello in the 2025 season.

The 40-year-old had to wait a full year to wear the Scuderia’s iconic red overalls after signing his contract for the pride of Italy in February 2024. Yet Hamilton enjoyed his farewell tour for Mercedes more than he has so far relished his first season as a Ferrari star after 22 rounds.

Hamilton ended a 945-day win drought with victory for Mercedes in the 2024 British Grand Prix, which ultimately denoted his first of two wins plus one of his five podiums last year. But the seven-time F1 champion is still waiting to get his first podium, let alone a win, for Ferrari.

So, after retiring from the Sao Paulo Grand Prix, Hamilton admitted he is living a “nightmare” at Ferrari. His P8 finish in the Las Vegas Grand Prix from P20 on the grid, after qualifying last on pace for the first time ever, even saw Hamilton brand 2025 his “worst season ever” in F1.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has proven Lewis Hamilton’s age is to blame for his demise

Ferrari are not willing to admit that signing Hamilton was a mistake, despite Charles Leclerc securing seven podiums and a pole position this term. Hamilton won the F1 Sprint in China during round two and sealed P3 in the Miami Sprint during round six for his only highlights.

READ MORE: Lewis Hamilton’s seven best Mercedes drives before joining Ferrari in 2025

Rene Arnoux feels Hamilton’s age, having turned 40 back in January, is why the record 105-time Grand Prix winner cannot show the form he once achieved. Andrea Kimi Antonelli, the driver who replaced Hamilton at Mercedes this season, has also hammered home the point.

Arnoux told Gazzetta dello Sport: “Antonelli had a great debut season. He arrived in F1 at just 18, with a lot of pressure on him, and he showed that the benchmarks have shifted compared to our generation, who arrived around 23 or 24.

“This is also why I see Hamilton’s situation as difficult, as he’s 40 years old. And, precisely because of this, he can’t perform for the entire season, like he could years ago.

“Regardless of Hamilton’s situation, the car wasn’t up to par, and that was also evident with Leclerc. The hope is that next year they’ll be able to take advantage of the new regulations to bring a car to the track that can give fans satisfaction after so many years.”

Kimi Antonelli has recovered from setbacks throughout his record-breaking rookie season

Antonelli became the third-youngest driver to start an F1 Grand Prix on his Mercedes debut in the Australian Grand Prix this March. The 18-year-old has also now scored 137 points and is 15 behind Hamilton for sixth place in the F1 drivers’ championship with two rounds to go.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

The Bologna boy even now boasts three podiums, having finished P3 in the Canadian Grand Prix, P2 in the Sao Paulo GP and P3 in the Las Vegas GP. Antonelli became F1’s youngest-ever polesitter in the Miami Sprint back in May, as well, amid a record-breaking start to 2025.

Mercedes watched Antonelli break the record for the youngest driver to lead a Grand Prix in Japan in round three, as he even became the youngest driver to set the fastest lap of a race. After 22/24 rounds, Hamilton does not have a pole for any race type or a Grand Prix podium.

While Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade ruined Antonelli’s confidence in the middle of the term, the teenager also got his campaign back on track during the later flyaway events. Also, Antonelli put himself under unnecessary pressure to shine on the European circuits he knew.

In contrast, results just keep getting worse and worse for Hamilton. The 2025 F1 season will likely return his lowest points tally since the current scoring system was introduced in 2010. Hamilton has never failed to get at least one Grand Prix podium in his 19-year F1 career, too.