Kimi Antonelli surprise catches Lewis Hamilton’s ex-sidekick Bono completely off guard | F1 | Sport

Kimi Antonelli is looking comfortable in Lewis Hamilton‘s shoes after replacing the seven-time world champion at Mercedes.

Hamilton fans have been forced to get to grips with the unfamiliar sight of the Brit decked out in Ferrari overalls. They will also need to acclimatise to his former race engineer Peter Bonnington – more commonly known as ‘Bono’ – calling the shots for a different driver in 2025.

Bono and Antonelli are gearing up for their first season as a partnership, and they are evidently getting on quite well. Bonnington, who has been with the Silver Arrows for well over a decade, celebrated his birthday earlier this week.

To celebrate, Antonelli gave him a caterpillar cake and the pair posed for a wholesome photo. Moments later, the crafty 18-year-old reappeared with a plate full of whipped cream, came up behind Bonnington and shoved his face in it.

Bono at least saw the funny side, removing his glasses which had been completely smeared, and attempting to wipe some of the cream on Antonelli’s black t-shirt before the pair embraced.

Shoving cream in someone’s face is a birthday tradition at Antonelli’s former F2 team, Prema. It remains to be seen whether it catches on at Mercedes, or whether that kind of childish fun proves to be a one-off.

Bonnington is facing down a completely new challenge in working with Antonelli this season. Hamilton has been there and done the lot – mostly with Bono barking instructions over the radio – and he was 22 years old by the time his replacement was born.

By contrast, Antonelli is making his F1 bow, having been fast-tracked through the usual feeder series’ due to his immense talent. Mercedes chiefs have one month before they are given a hint, at the Australian Grand Prix, about whether they made the right decision by hiring a hungry up-and-comer.

Antonelli is trying to block out the pressure of replacing a driver of Hamilton’s calibre, and focus on handling what will be a new level of competition.

“I feel like I’m just the next Mercedes driver and I really want to make my way and try to get good results,” he told Sky Sports. “It won’t be easy because, in my first year in F1, I’m ultimately competing against the other 19 best drivers in the world.

“It can be very brutal at times. The mindset will be to try and win and then we’ll see. I have good people around me who, especially at the moment, are really trying to help me ignore the outside stuff and just focus.”