Peter Bonnington says it is chalk & cheese comparing work with Lewis Hamilton & Kimi Antonelli

Bonnington has been the voice we got used to hearing over the Mercedes radio when Hamilton was driving for the eight-time Formula 1 Champions team before he decided to leave for Ferrari in 2025.

While many thought Bonnington would follow Hamilton to Maranello and that we would still have Bono & Lewis, that was not the case, and Mercedes managed to keep the experienced race engineer with them and tasked him with tutoring Antonelli, the young talent Toto Wolff chose to take Hamilton's case.

Last Sunday, Bonnington finally saw the fruits of his labor realized as Antonelli took his first ever Grand Prix after claiming his first pole position in qualifying one day earlier.

Hamilton, on the same day, took his first podium for Ferrari, which meant we had a very special podium as Mercedes sent Bonnington up to collect the winning constructor's trophy.

Reflecting on that moment, Bonnington said: “It was pretty good; I can’t complain. To have Lewis there with Kimi was a hell of a moment, one I will cherish."

Commenting on Antonelli's race, which included a brief scare when the 19-year-old locked up in the final laps, Bono added: “At first it was just a relief [to win].

"I just thought, 'Good, it feels like we're on the right path.’ But now, just seeing the reaction and seeing what it means to him, what it means to everyone, it's super special.

“It's his first one, and to be there up on the podium, Lewis to my left, Kimi to my right—it's a real special moment.

“Seeing how much it meant to him and seeing how much it meant to his dad and the fans, it was really good," he added, referring to the moment when Antonelli couldn't hold back his tears.

“It is chalk and cheese," the British engineer said when asked to compare working with Hamilton and Antonelli. "With Lewis, I knew what he was thinking; I knew that he didn’t need to be told. Whereas when I started with Kimi, it was a case of—I don’t know what he doesn’t know.

“So, I’m having to re-remember loads of stuff that I took for granted, so that was a good process for myself. But Kimi just brings a completely different vibe, because he’s still so young.

“[The Championship] is going to take endurance," he said when asked about Antonelli's chances to fight for the Championship in 2026. "To win one [race] is great, but to win a Championship, it is exponential the effort that goes into it, and I think it is taking it a step at a time: follow your procedures, just think about the process, and don’t get ahead of yourself.

“Don’t worry; it will come. If you tick all the boxes and you get all your ducks in a row, it will come to you. Don’t worry about the Championship; it will come," Bonnington concluded. (Reporting by Agnes Carlier)