Hamilton defends F1's young stars and calls out ex-drivers for 'talking smack'

Lewis Hamilton used his 400th grand prix start, at Interlagos, to deliver a pointed defence of Formula 1’s young generation, accusing former drivers of routinely ‘talking smack’ about the sport’s emerging stars and vowing never to follow their example.

The seven-time world champion was asked whether Kimi Antonelli’s title success had prompted him to reflect on his own career. Antonelli, 20, replaced Hamilton at Mercedes after the Briton moved to Ferrari for the 2025 season, and in only his second campaign became F1’s youngest world champion, winning nine grands prix and claiming 16 podiums.

‘I’m just really proud to see new people coming through, young drivers,’ Hamilton said. ‘I see a lot of these ex-Formula 1 drivers, older Formula 1 drivers, racing drivers just talking smack about young people all the time.’ He added that those drivers showed ‘no empathy’ despite having navigated similar pressures themselves, and said: ‘I always wanted to make sure that I would not be that type of driver.’

Hamilton, now 41, extended his praise beyond Antonelli, saying he was impressed by young drivers across the entire field. ‘They’re all showing up every single week with all the pressures that they have,’ he said. ‘Of course, we’re very privileged as racing drivers, but there are massive challenges to arrive and keep your head up and keep failing and getting back up.’

The Ferrari driver was equally emphatic about the demands of the sport itself. ‘This is the pinnacle of motorsport. It is the hardest platform to do well in. It’s so easy to make mistakes,’ he said, adding that he respected the way each driver kept ‘getting up and picking up and just continuing to push’.

Among those Hamilton had in mind is Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, 22, who has taken three podium finishes in his second season — further evidence, alongside Antonelli’s title, of a generational shift gathering pace at the front of the grid.