Hamilton hugs Bonnington after former engineer guides Antonelli to maiden F1 title in Mexico

Lewis Hamilton embraced his former Mercedes race engineer Peter ‘Bono’ Bonnington on the grid at the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez on Sunday, after Bonnington guided Kimi Antonelli to the Formula 1 world championship in only the Italian’s second season in the sport. Footage of the moment went viral, drawing widespread praise from fans across social media.

Hamilton and Bonnington worked together throughout the seven-time champion’s tenure at Mercedes, a partnership that produced six of his seven titles. When Hamilton departed for Ferrari ahead of the 2025 season, Bonnington was paired with Antonelli — the teenager brought in to replace him at Brackley.

Antonelli sealed the championship at the Mexican Grand Prix, with Hamilton starting from pole position and finishing second. Max Verstappen won the race for Red Bull, with Antonelli completing the podium in third.

The sight of Hamilton — visibly still processing the circumstances of the day — crossing the paddock to congratulate Bonnington resonated strongly with fans. “Lewis is just a very classy dude. It’s obvious he’s still very upset about the incident, but he’s putting that aside to celebrate his friends who deserve the celebration,” one fan wrote on Reddit.

Others reflected on the bittersweet nature of the moment for Bonnington himself. “Bono must have felt bittersweet today. Happy for Antonelli but part of him did want it to be Hamilton’s 8th, didn’t he…” one comment read.

The broader reaction also acknowledged Bonnington’s own achievement in the transition. “Imagine being the engineer for perhaps the greatest F1 driver of all time, then having to go back to being the engineer for a rookie,” another fan wrote. “It really turned out really well for him in the end. And I think this partnership was really what Kimi needed to pull this off. Being so young and new to the scene, having a seasoned head behind the scenes supporting you really makes a world of difference.”

Hamilton, 41, has yet to win a race with Ferrari since making the high-profile switch at the start of the season. His pole position in Mexico underlined the pace is there, but the championship — and the engineer who knew him best — now belong to a new era.