Lewis Hamilton showed his class after praising two rookie racers following the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Despite a less than stellar ninth-place finish on Sunday, the 39-year-old F1 legend commended Franco Colapinto, 21, and Oliver Bearman, 19, who both impressed in only their second-ever Grands Prix, particularly on what was a tricky Baku circuit.
After the race, Hamilton initially blanked on Colapinto’s name but was quick to express his admiration for the Argentinian, who finished a place ahead of him in eighth. “All I can say is it was really great to see talented youngsters coming through and driving so well,” he said.
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“Oliver did a great job, racing against him, it was tough but fair. And yeah, I don’t remember the kid’s name in the Williams… [someone off camera reminds him] Colapinto. Yeah he did a great job.”
On Instagram, a somewhat star-struck Colapinto shared a snap of Hamilton giving him a congratulatory pat on the back in the paddock, calling it “my best moment of the day”. He also said that shaking the Mercedes drivers’ hand after the race was a “dream come true”.
“My best moment of the day,” he wrote. “How crazy and what a dream come ‘true’ to shake hands with @lewishamilton after a race together wow.”
Who has more potential – Colapinto or Bearman? Let us know in the comments section below.
The Williams driver managed to outpace Hamilton, securing eighth place and crossing the line a good three seconds before the seven-time world champion. His F1 journey kicked off earlier this month at the Italian Grand Prix, where he stepped in for Logan Sargeant and finished 12th.
Colapinto’s Baku finish saw him bag four points, catapulting him ahead of Sargeant, Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu in the overall rankings. This feat made him the first Argentinian to score points in F1 since Carlos Reutemann in 1982. He’s now set to race for Williams for the rest of the season, though Carlos Sainz will be stepping into Sargeant’s shoes permanently from 2025.
(Image: Getty Images)
(Image: Getty Images)
Meanwhile, Bearman finished the race in 10th place, just shy of a second behind fellow Brit Hamilton. Making his Haas debut, he filled in for Kevin Magnussen who was sidelined due to a race ban after racking up 12 penalty points.
It marked the teenager’s first F1 appearance since the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March. Bearman, who will race for Haas next season, stepped in for Sainz at Ferrari in Jeddah after the Spaniard pulled out due to appendicitis, and finished seventh.