Lewis Hamilton admitted Mercedes did not expect to finish one-two at the Belgian Grand Prix after a poor start to the race weekend.

Hamilton finished half a second behind team-mate George Russell despite leading for large portions of the race and was unable to mount enough pressure to pip him over the finish line.

Mercedes had struggled in the practice sessions on Friday, though they improved in rainy conditions on Saturday, with Hamilton finishing fourth in qualifying, getting bumped up to P3 after Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty.

In the end, it was the tyre strategy that swayed in Russell's favour on Sunday, as he made just one stop compared to Hamilton’s two.

After a poor start to the season, Mercedes have now won three of the last four races, and Hamilton is proud of how the team have turned things around.

"No, we definitely didn't [expect that]," he said after the race. "First I have to say congratulations to George and to the team.

"We had such a disaster on Friday. The car was really nowhere.

"We made some changes, hard to see what it was going to feel like because of the wet yesterday, but the car was fantastic today, and we really owe it to everyone, both here doing a solid job with pit stops and strategy, and the guys back at the factory.

"I was trying to get closer [at the end] obviously, but George did a great job going long on the tyres. Every stint I had tyres left, but the team brought me in, so unfortunate, but it is one of those days."

Mercedes are fourth in the constructors' championship on 284 points, 56 behind third-place Ferrari.

However, Hamilton believes they still have a long way to go if they want to be considered one of the contenders for it, even with their impressive recent form.

"No. That would be high hopes," he added. "If we can continue these kind of performances, we've had the last few races, which has been fantastic. If we can start our weekends better, hopefully, we can continue.

"I think the McLaren was very strong today, but we were just a bit further ahead early on. We've just got to keep pushing."

George Russell celebrated an "amazing" win at Spa in the Belgian Grand Prix.

Russell edged out Mercedes team-mate Lewis Hamilton to triumph in a thrilling battle on Sunday.

It marked Russell's second win of the season, as he became only the second driver – after reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen – to win multiple races in 2024.

And a risky strategy that saw Russell only pit once ultimately paid off in style for Mercedes, who have won three of the last four races.

"Amazing," said Russell, who charged up from sixth on the grid.

"We definitely didn't predict this win this morning in our strategy meeting but the car was feeling really awesome.

"We made a lot of changes from Friday night and the tyres just felt great. I kept saying 'we can do the one stop'.

"[Oscar] Piastri did a really great job and also well done to Lewis – he really controlled that race and if circumstances were slightly different I am sure he would have got the victory but a one-two for the team was such an awesome result and such a great way to go into the break.

"Three wins for us now. I want another race next weekend. The team have been working so hard so well deserved for everybody."

Asked whose idea it was to go with just one pit stop, Russell said: "I was focusing a lot during the race so I will have to listen to the radio commentary back but it was a team effort.

"We rolled the dice but it was only possible because the car was feeling really great."

Mercedes chief Toto Wolff was thrilled the risk paid off.

He told Sky Sports: "It’s incredible. We were nowhere. We changed a few things on the car and today we’ve been clearly ahead of everyone.

"We didn't think it was possible but at a certain stage we said, let's stay out, because we were going to finish fifth anyway, both scenarios. He stayed out and in the end he made it last."

Lewis Hamilton knows he faces "a hell of a fight" to hold on for a podium finish at this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix.

The seven-time world champion finished fourth during a wet day of qualifying in Spa, but moved up to P3 after Max Verstappen's 10-place grid penalty after exceeding the maximum number of power units permitted throughout the season.

Hamilton secured his third top-three start of the 2024 season, while out-qualifying Mercedes team-mate George Russell in successive races for the first time this term.

It is also the fourth consecutive year in which the 38-year-old will start on the second row at this track, where he feels the wet conditions worked to his advantage.

"When it rained, I knew that we would have a chance of being at the front because those are my preferred conditions," he said. 

"I think if it was dry, we would have been struggling to be in the top 10. I imagine it would have been tough. Then out there, timing was everything, getting out on track at the right point. I think we were a little bit too early at the end.

"We were first out, and that's when we used our new tyres, and then we didn't have any new tyres until the end and the three guys ahead did. So, a little bit unfortunate in that respect, but that's the way it is. But I'm grateful to be up there.

"The Red Bulls are much quicker than us here and the McLarens are much quicker than us here. The Ferraris, I think are there or thereabouts with us.

"Obviously, Max is going to make his way through because I think they are the quickest this weekend. So holding on to the podium is going to be a hell of a fight, but I'm ready for it."

Lando Norris admitted he was "not comfortable" despite being fastest in the Belgian Grand Prix second practice.

McLaren finished first and second on Friday, with Norris finishing just 0.215 seconds ahead of team-mate Oscar Piastri.

Max Verstappen finished third, but despite an impressive performance, his 10-place grid penalty will affect his result.

Norris finished second in the Hungarian Grand Prix last week, behind Piastri, in a race overshadowed by a radio spat between the Brit and the pit wall.

Having put that behind him, even after a confident practice session on Friday, Norris is not willing to rest on his laurels with Red Bull showing their threat.

"Red Bull are very quick at the minute," Norris said. "So, tricky, but I've just not felt very comfortable today with the car.

"So hopefully I just wake up [on Saturday] and feel a bit more comfortable with it. But we'll try and improve a few things and see again.

"I know it looked good on the timesheets, but I've not felt super comfortable in just going out and doing it. So, hopefully, I can just get in a bit more of a rhythm and feel a bit better out there."

Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton finished in 10th after struggling to match the pace set in the second session.

Mercedes have been credited for their improvement in recent weeks, with Hamilton winning at Silverstone before finishing third at Hungaroring last Sunday.

However, he was also left disappointed on Friday and said he was hoping for the forecast rain over the rest of the weekend to give the team more of an edge.

"It was a pretty bad day," Hamilton said.

"I don't really know what to say! Obviously, it's been feeling great in the past couple of races, but it just felt completely different today.

"We worked on it. The first session was not great, but then in the second session we made some changes, and it started off great, and then when I got to the soft tyre I just couldn't improve and there were a bunch of balance issues we had through the lap.

"It was better through this session, but everyone else went even better. So, to be 1.2s behind is not great.

"If it rains, then that opens it up a little bit and, hopefully, we can do a better job. I think the car should be better in the wet than it is in the dry."

George Russell was left to rue "a fundamental error" that led to a "disaster" in Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying.

The Mercedes driver will start Sunday's race towards the back of the grid in 17th place after suffering a shock exit in Q1 on a dramatic day of qualifying at Hungaroring.

Russell did so as a result of his team failing to provide him with enough fuel in the wet-dry conditions.

"There are two factors," he told Sky Sports. "The first was I didn't do a good enough job at the beginning. The second was we didn't have enough fuel to complete the session.

"It was a disaster from both aspects. We should have got through comfortably. Not having enough fuel is a fundamental error from the team."

There were better fortunes for Oscar Piastri, who finished in second place and just 0.022 seconds behind team-mate Lando Norris, ensuring McLaren's first lock-out in qualifying since the 2012 British Grand Prix.

 "It's cool to be here, especially when you get a result like this," he said. "Very happy, of course, but I missed out by two-hundredths, so you think of all the little things you could've done better.

"We had a bit of a tricky day on my side yesterday, but it's nice to bounce back this morning and obviously this afternoon in [qualifying].

"It wasn't easy - a lot of decisions on the fly - but to end up with both cars on the front row is an amazing result."

Lewis Hamilton has declared it is "game on" for Mercedes at this weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix as the Silver Arrows target a third straight win.

Mercedes endured a dismal start to 2024 as the team suffered teething problems with their W15 car, but recent upgrades have led to a major upturn.

George Russell triumphed at the Austrian Grand Prix three weeks ago, before Hamilton secured a record-breaking ninth victory at the British Grand Prix a week later.

Mercedes are now just seven points adrift of second-placed Ferrari in the constructors' championship standings, and Hamilton is confident in their chances at the Hungaroring, where he has a record eight wins.

"We definitely don't want to get ahead of ourselves, that's key in our approach," Hamilton said. "But also, we're like, 'it's game on!

"We're fighting, we're chasing, and we're going to try and win as many races as George mentioned or compete for as many wins as possible.

"It may turn out this weekend that the Red Bull is still light years ahead, or the McLaren is, who knows? 

"We are united as a team and we are going to try and make sure we finish this season on a high.

"If we can lift the team up in the ladder of constructors, if we can progress – we are not too far off the drivers up ahead of us – then that will be great."

Three of the last four races have seen both Hamilton and Russell finish inside the top four, after neither of the duo managed such a finish in the first eight races of the season.

"If you told us at the start of the year we'd be fighting for three wins in a row, we wouldn't have believed it," Russell said.

"We have led the last four races since the upgrades, which is an incredible turnaround for us and everyone is super motivated."

Red Bull's internal issues may hit their Formula One team down the line, so says McLaren chief Zak Brown.

While Max Verstappen remains in control of the drivers' championship, and Red Bull lead the constructors' standings, their 2024 season has been far from ideal to date.

Red Bull remain in pole on the track, but there have been issues off it as team boss Christian Horner's future appears uncertain, while lead designer Adrian Newey is leaving.

Even if they are not caught this season, McLaren chief executive Brown feels the issues will eventually catch up with Red Bull if they do not find a resolution.

And while Red Bull have scored points in each of the last 55 races, with Verstappen having seven wins this season, it was Mercedes who triumphed at the Austrian Grand Prix and Silverstone in the past two races, leaving Horner's outfit short of momentum.

Ahead of this week's Hungarian Grand Prix, Brown said: "I think the turmoil will have more of a mid to longer-term impact.

"Adrian Newey... this car was done last year, what they are racing now was done when everything was fine.

"It's more 2026 when you've got a new engine coming, what's going on with the driver front? That's where you potentially are going to see the lack of stability that appears to be there maybe come through a little bit.

"Winning holds things together and as that becomes more of a challenge for them, that's where you might see some more fractures in various relationships inside that camp."

Brown's McLaren are enjoying a fine campaign. Lando Norris, with one race win under his belt and many other near misses, sits second to Verstappen in the standings, while the team are third in the constructors' championship, just seven points behind Ferrari.

Indeed, six drivers have already tasted victory in 2024, which is the most in a single F1 season since 2012 (eight).

And Brown feels next season will be an even more intriguing battle.

"I think next year could be an epic season, right? You could have four teams fighting for the championship," he said.

"It would be naive to rule out someone who's not in the top four right now, because we do see how quickly things can change.

"Everyone has very similar technology, so there's no reason why others can't do what we've done the last year."

This weekend's race will be the 39th edition of the Hungarian Grand Prix in F1. Since its appearance on the calendar in 1986, it is one of only four races that have been held each year without interruption, along with the British Grand Prix, Italian Grand Prix and Spanish Grand Prix.

DRIVERS TO WATCH

Max Verstappen - Red Bull

Verstappen has won the last two editions of this race, and the Dutchman is aiming to become only the second driver in F1 history to win three in a row at the Hungarian Grand Prix, after Lewis Hamilton between 2018 and 2020.

But the three-time reigning champion comes into the event after finishing fifth and second in his last two outings. He has not gone three successive races without a win since 2021 and on that occasion all three victories went to Mercedes, who have won the last two races.

Is that a bad omen for Red Bull?

Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes

Hamilton celebrated his first victory since 2021 as he triumphed for Mercedes at Silverstone last time out.

The Hungarian Grand Prix has always been one of his favourite races and no driver has won it more times (eight), had more pole positions (nine), reached more podiums (11) and scored more points (271) than Hamilton at the circuit.

There is also a landmark in the offing.

Hamilton has been on the podium 199 times in his F1 career (49 with McLaren and 150 with Mercedes). His next top-three finish will see him become the first driver to finish on the podium 200 times. 

And even if Hamilton does not get a front-row placing in qualifying, do not rule him out. The last three Hungarian Grand Prix winners have not started from pole position. If this trend is repeated in 2024, it will be the second time that the winner has not started from pole position in four consecutive editions at the Hungaroring (four between 2008 and 2011).

CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS

Drivers

1. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 255
2. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 171
3. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 150
4. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari) - 146
5. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 124

Constructors

1. Red Bull - 373
2. Ferrari - 302
3. McLaren - 295
4. Mercedes - 221
5. Aston Martin - 68

Lewis Hamilton said it was "incredible" to see home drivers take the top three places in British Grand Prix qualifying as he and George Russell led McLaren's Lando Norris.

Russell beat fellow Mercedes driver Hamilton to pole position by 0.171 seconds at Silverstone, with Norris 0.211 seconds off.

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen was fourth, damaging the floor of his Red Bull in a rain-affected first session and struggling from then on. 

Coming just one week after Russell won the Austrian Grand Prix, the result provided further evidence of a Mercedes upturn following their miserable start to the year.

The Silver Arrows have seen both of their drivers finish inside the top four places at each of the last three races, and Hamilton believes improvements to the team's car have given them a great chance of holding off Norris in Sunday's race.

"Three Brits in the top three is incredible. George did such a great job. We didn't expect to be on the front row this weekend," he told Sky Sports. 

"This is huge for our team. The car felt great, it was just about getting tyre temperatures in the right place.

"There was still time left on the table, which George managed to find. I feel really confident about the car tomorrow and I think with the conditions, we can work together to keep Lando behind."

Norris, who has seven podium finishes in the last nine races, was full of praise for Mercedes but admitted he had failed to hit the heights of recent weeks.

"It's tough. I think George and Lewis did a great job. For two cars to get there shows the team were also doing an amazing job," he said.

"It was super close. I think if I'd put in a good enough lap it was close and could've been a bit of a fight.

"But this team have been very quick all weekend, since FP1. We're there or thereabouts, but I just didn't deliver it today."

George Russell believes Mercedes' persistence finally paid off as he secured their first win of the 2024 season at the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday.

Russell began the race in third but benefitted from a collision caused by Max Verstappen, who was hit with a time penalty, with Lando Norris, who was forced to retire.

The Briton took full advantage, speeding past the stricken vehicles to claim just his second career win.

After finishing in the top five in each of the last three races, Russell was pleased to continue building on Mercedes' momentum.

"It's no secret with Red Bull and Max, and McLaren with Lando are still a little bit out in front," Russell said. "But we are always putting ourselves in that third-place position in the last couple of races.

"If anything happens up front, we will then pick it up. What an exciting time for us.

"We are riding a bit of a wave at the moment; these last three races have been incredible. I think realistically we probably could have won the race in Canada, but this makes up for one too many mistakes on my side."

The collision between Verstappen and Norris came on lap 64 of 71, with both drivers vying for the lead, but Russell was not surprised by it.

"[Verstappen and Norris] were going for it. I couldn't believe how close we were to Lando and Max," Russell added. "We were only about 12 seconds behind, and I knew [the collision] was a possibility. You are always dreaming.

"It was a tough fight out there at the beginning of the race just to hold onto that P3 and I saw on the TV Max and Lando getting pretty hard. I knew Lando would be wanting to get that race win.

"The team have done an amazing job to get us into this fight, and you've got to be there to pick it up the pieces and that's where we were."

Mercedes claimed a huge win at the Austrian Grand Prix after Max Verstappen was hit with a time penalty for causing a crash.

Reigning Formula One champion Verstappen collided with his title rival Lando Norris, who was forced out of Sunday's race, and was penalised 10 seconds for his trouble.

That crash came on lap 64 out of 71, with Verstappen - who had led for much of the race from pole - penalised three laps later after a virtual safety car at Spielberg.

And Russell took full advantage by speeding past the stricken vehicles of Verstappen and Norris to claim his and Mercedes' first race victory of the season.

It marks the Briton's second career win.

It was not all doom and gloom for McLaren despite Norris' crash, with Oscar Piastri clinching second place.

Carlos Sainz rounded out the podium, while Lewis Hamilton took fourth ahead of Verstappen, who was incredibly close to taking a record-setting fifth victory at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Nico Hulkenberg came in sixth, while Charles Leclerc endured a difficult day and finished 11th.

Data Debrief: Frustration for Lando and Max

Norris had finished in the top four in each of the last six races before this one, as many times as in the previous 15. He is one podium away from equalling John Watson as the 13th-highest British driver with the most podiums in Formula 1 history, but he will now have to wait for that particular feat.

Verstappen, too, was dealt a blow. He remains just one podium away from overtaking Alain Prost and Fernando Alonso as the driver with the fourth-highest solo podium finishes in F1 history.

Daniel Ricciardo, meanwhile, marked his 250th F1 race with a ninth-place finish.

Top 10

1. George Russell (Mercedes)

2. Oscar Piastri (McLaren)

3. Carlos Sainz (Ferrari)

4. Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

5. Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

6. Nico Hulkenberg (Haas)

7. Sergio Perez (Red Bull)

8. Kevin Magnussen (Haas)

9. Daniel Ricciardo (RB)

10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)

Mercedes chief Ola Kallenius believes Max Verstappen would "look good in silver" as he strongly hinted at the team's continued interest in the Red Bull driver.

Lewis Hamilton is leaving Mercedes to join Ferrari at the end of the year, though the team are yet to announce who his replacement will be.

Since Hamilton's announcement, Mercedes have talked up Verstappen, who has a contract with Red Bull until 2028.

However, rumours have circled the Dutchman's future with the team after legendary designer Adrian Newey announced his departure at the end of the season, with Verstappen, who won the Spanish Grand Prix last weekend, stressing he wants to be in the "right environment" in the fastest car.

Speaking to Sky Germany, Kallenius once again made his interest in drawing Verstappen over to Mercedes clear.

"The best driver wants to have the best car. And that's our job, to bring the best package together," Kallenius said.

"The cards will be reshuffled in 2026. New order with new rules. That's also an opportunity. Who knows?

"But I think Max would look good in silver, wouldn't he?"

Despite those comments, Toto Wolff previously confirmed there had been no official talks with Verstappen.

It is rumoured that 17-year-old Andrea Kimi Antonelli could be in line to partner George Russell next season, while Verstappen remains an outside target.

Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen are confident they can claim victory from the clutches of Lando Norris ahead of Sunday's Spanish Grand Prix. 

The pair, who have won the previous eight Spanish Grands Prix between them (three for Verstappen and five for Hamilton), start second and third on the grid in Barcelona. 

The seven-time world champion out-qualified team-mate George Russell for only the second time this season as the Mercedes drivers took third and fourth, underlining their re-emergence as contenders close to the front after a series of car developments. 

“I’m really happy, thank you everyone I’m super happy to be here in the top three," Hamilton said. "It’s been a difficult year and a huge amount of work from everyone back at the factory, and finally we are starting to see those incremental steps moving closer to the guys ahead.

“I didn’t expect us to be fighting for pole necessarily, but there were bits there where I thought maybe we will be close and so to be there I’m just grateful.”

On the team making steps forward, he added: “We’ve made huge steps forward and it’s really just down to every single individual back at the factory who is pushing and designing and making the new parts that we get to bring as early as possible to these races.

"Slowly the car is crafting into a racing machine that we can hopefully fight the guys at the front.

“George did a great job today so hopefully tomorrow we can apply pressure to the two cars ahead.” 

Red Bull's Verstappen will start on the front row, but in second place after being pipped by Norris to claim his second career pole. 

The Dutchman appeared out of reach when he improved his own time, which was already fastest, by more than 0.2 seconds on his final run, only for Norris to cross the line moments later to beat Verstappen by 0.02 seconds. 

However, Verstappen is confident of claiming a seventh victory of the season to grow his lead over Leclerc at the top of the driver's championship. 

"I think in qualifying it was all coming together a bit nicer," Verstappen said. "We have been trying to find the balance because the practice sessions have been difficult.

"So I was quite happy in qualifying - I even got a nice little tow from Checo to Turn One to really extract everything we could. But unfortunately, it was just not enough. That is how it goes sometimes and overall we can still be very happy with this performance in qualifying and definitely all to play for tomorrow.

"Even throughout qualifying, the wind started to pick up a little bit, maybe that made it a bit more difficult for us. Overall, a good performance again in qualifying.

"They are never easy qualis because you're always in a battle with yourself. of course now, there's more teams. And when it's that close for pole position, it's always great."

George Russell edged out Max Verstappen to claim pole position for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Russell and Verstappen, the reigning Formula One world champion and championship leader, set identical lap times.

Both clocked in at one minute and 12 seconds, but Russell was given the edge as he banked his first. That had not happened in F1 since 1997.

It is a huge boost for Mercedes, who seem to have turned a corner in recent races following some upgrades to their car.

"It's sort of come from nowhere," Russell said after qualifying in Montreal. "But maybe not a surprise with the upgrades we've been bringing.

"We brought these upgrades to Monaco, which has been a really challenging circuit for us in the past, and we were 0.1secs from the front row and we thought going into Montreal we had a shot here.

"It's just turning really nicely through the corners. We struggled a lot with understeer before.

"Last year, we had a lot of oversteer and we've been trying to find the halfway house between what we had last year and what we had this year.

"And it feels like we're sort of dialling in that sweet spot right now. So it feels like something we've been saying for a long time, in all honesty. But you know, just really a sense of relief to actually see it translate into a pole position. [There's] more to come.

"We are the favourite at the moment because we have the fastest car and I was feeling great behind the wheel.

"But there is rain on the horizon and the wind is picking up. We are going to have to be so on our feet. It's a bit of a shame in a way. But I am feeling optimistic."

Verstappen said: "It's how it is. We had a good qualifying. The whole weekend has been still a bit tricky for us but to be P2, I'll take it. Going into qualifying I would have definitely taken that. It makes it more exciting for the race as well."

Russell's team-mate Lewis Hamilton did not have as much luck, as he could only manage seventh place, behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Pisastri.

Verstappen's Red Bull team-mate, Sergio Perez, also had a poor session, as he was knocked out in Q3 for the second straight race.

Perez's Red Bull future was confirmed this week, though the team are also keeping on Yuki Tsunoda as back up.

It was a poor day for Ferrari, with both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz missing out on the top 10.

Sainz is hoping to claim a top seat for next season, with Hamilton replacing him at Ferrari, but Mercedes boss Toto Wolff confirmed that would not be with his team.

"Carlos deserves a top seat," Wolff said. "He's done a fantastic job, but for us we've embarked on a route now.

"We want to reinvent ourselves a little bit going forward and Kimi Antonelli definitely plays a part in that.

"We haven't taken a decision yet for next year but we didn't want to have Carlos wait as well because he needs to take decisions for himself and that's fair, but he's doing a super job."

Lewis Hamilton believes Mercedes are "not far away" from competing at the front of the grid after implementing upgrades ahead of this weekend's Canadian Grand Prix.

Mercedes have endured a torrid start to the 2024 season, which will be Hamilton's last with the team before he joins Ferrari for 2025.

Neither Hamilton nor team-mate George Russell have finished higher than fifth in any race, with Russell achieving that finish in the opening race at Bahrain and in Monaco two weeks ago.

The Silver Arrows – who have only won one race since 2021 – introduced a new front wing to Russell's car last time out and were encouraged by his pace. Both cars will be sporting the upgrade in Montreal this weekend.

Asked whether he thought Mercedes could close the gap to constructors' champions and current leaders Red Bull, Hamilton said: "I don't think it's far away.

"We've got the upgrade, both cars have the upgrade this weekend, so I'm looking forward to seeing how that feels on the track."

Max Verstappen initially looked set for another dominant campaign, but recent victories for McLaren's Lando Norris and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc have led some to suggest we could still see a title battle. 

Hamilton added: "The car's continuing to improve. I think everyone's obviously taking that step, hopefully getting closer to the Red Bulls and I think that's been really positive.

"I'm incredibly proud of everyone back at the factory, how hard everyone's working and how resilient everyone is. Everyone is staying focused, the morale is really great in the team.

"So I'm hoping that we can get closer to these guys and start actually competing at the front."

Hamilton has won the Canadian Grand Prix seven times, a tally only matched by Michael Schumacher. 

His last victory came 53 races ago at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, but a surprise win in Montreal would see him equal his record for most triumphs at a single event (eight in Hungary and Great Britain).

Lewis Hamilton would choose Andrea Kimi Antonelli to take his Mercedes seat when he makes the move to Ferrari next year.

In February, Hamilton stunned the Formula One world by announcing he was exercising a break clause in his contract with the Silver Arrows and would join Ferrari from 2025. 

Several drivers have been linked with the upcoming vacancy at Mercedes, including world champion Max Verstappen, though he is thought likely to stay with Red Bull for next season.

Carlos Sainz – who will lose his Ferrari seat to Hamilton – has also been tipped as a potential candidate, but Hamilton thinks 17-year-old prodigy Antonelli deserves a chance.

"Carlos is a great driver, so wherever he goes I think he would be a positive for any team," Hamilton said of Sainz. 

"Honestly, I have no idea what Toto [Wolff]'s plans are, but for me, taking on a youngster, I would probably take on Kimi."

Antonelli has been part of Mercedes' junior team since 2019 and currently competes for Prema Racing in Formula Two, sitting sixth in the drivers' championship standings after four rounds of the 2024 season.

Speaking at Sunday's Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, team principal Wolff hinted the teenager was under serious consideration for next year.

"I guess for the Italians it's super exciting to have Lewis Hamilton in red next year. We will get used to the outfits, but we have got to look at ourselves," he said.

"Maybe there is an option where we can shine more with an Italian in our car, so we're pushing back hard."