Antonelli is happy for Hamilton, but feels "empty" after first blank Formula 1 race in 2026

The Formula 1 leader congratulated Lewis Hamilton, more than twice his age, on a historic win.
Text: Javier Escribano
Published 2026-06-15

Andrea Kimi Antonelli had been lucky for a long time in the Formula 1 championship, but that good fortune ended abruptly in Barcelona, at the Catalan Grand Prix, in which after five race victories in a row, he had to withdraw due to a mechanical problem. Lewis Hamilton won a historic race for Ferrari and his Mercedes teammate George Russell was second, which reduces Antonelli's lead in the championship to 41 points behind Hamilton and 50 behind Russell.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli showed sportsmanship with Hamilton. "First of all, I'm very happy for Lewis because he's been chasing that first win with Ferrari for so long and I'm really happy for him to see him succeed in that", he said (via F1.com) but also said he feels "a bit empty", but "it is what it is, races are like this and it comes and goes."

Antonelli didn't put the blame on the team, saying it's nobody's fault, despite his car suffering a technical issue, and also admitted that he didn't do a good job on his side, so now it's time to rest and think about Austria in two weeks.

Antonelli still has a good lead, but this shows that the F1 Championship still has most chapters to write, and anything can happen. The Italian already broke the record as the youngest driver to win a Grand Prix... before winning four more in a row. Will Andrea Kimi Antonelli become the youngest World Champion in F1 history, surpassing Hamilton's first World Championship in 2008, when he was 23?

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