Lewis Hamilton has reflected on how he "wasn't ready" for F1 at 18 years of age, whilst coming to the defence of Kimi Antonelli.
The British driver, who stepped up to the championship aged 22, insists, however, that the Mercedes teenager is ready for Formula 1, despite a torrid run of form.
Antonelli scored the first point in Europe of his F1 career at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, but had endured a painful spell prior to that, with just his maiden podium in Montreal to show from the previous seven rounds.
That came after a promising start to life in the W16 alongside George Russell, having taken five 10 top finishes in the opening six events - and sprint pole in Miami.
It was an ill-fated rear suspension upgrade, however, that curtailed the Italian's strong opening salvo, which Mercedes eventually moved off from at the Hungaroring.
The weekend before the Brackley-based squad rowed back on that update, at Spa-Francorchamps, Hamilton went to see Antonelli at his former team.
When asked about that visit and his thoughts on the 18-year-old's recent struggles, the seven-time F1 drivers' champion explained how he tries to support the driver in his old seat.
"I always let him know that I'm there," Hamilton told media, including RacingNews365. "I think it's always important to let people know they're not alone.
"And so I let him know that, try not to encroach, get in the way, or anything like that, but just let him know that you can always lean on me if he ever needs - he's already got an amazing group of people around him, so..."
Using himself as a point of reference, Hamilton highlighted how well Antonelli started the campaign, and that it is merely a case of building experience onto the foundation of his ability.
"And he's 18. I mean, I wasn't ready at 18," the Ferrari driver added. "He clearly is, because he's done a great job this year, particularly the first half of the year, the way he's jumped in...
"So he's clearly got the ability, and it's just about experience. It's very difficult when you want to succeed, with all the pressure and everything, it's sometimes difficult to handle.
"But I think he's been doing really, really well, and he's a really great lad."
Also interesting:
Join RacingNews365's Ian Parkes, Sam Coop and Nick Golding, as they look back on last weekend's F1 Hungarian Grand Prix! McLaren's interesting control over its drivers is discussed, as is the current struggle being endured by Lewis Hamilton.
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