Lewis Hamilton makes heartwarming gesture to Kimi Antonelli after he was left 'in tears' following session

Lewis Hamilton reportedly made a heartwarming gesture towards Kimi Antonelli after the Mercedes rookie endured a tough qualifying session at the Belgian Grand Prix.

On Saturday, qualifying for Sunday's Grand Prix took place around the iconic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps.

As expected, the McLarens came out on top again as Lando Norris stormed to pole ahead of teammate Oscar Piastri and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc.

However, it was an afternoon to forget for Antonelli as he only managed to qualify in 18th place.

After the session, the young Italian was visibly emotional as he took part in media interviews, with some fans claiming he was fighting back tears.

On Sunday, according to Formula 1 photographer Kym Illman, Hamilton, who had a tough afternoon of his own, paid a visit to the Mercedes motorhome.

It has been suggested that Hamilton gave support to Antonelli after the 18-year-old's recent struggles.

Illman wrote on social media: "It's been a while since we've seen Lewis Hamilton in the Mercedes Engineering motorhome but he was there a few minutes ago.

"Why? It's believed he caught up with Kimi Antonelli to give him some support after the Mercedes rookie's tricky qualifying yesterday when Kimi appeared teary-eyed after the session."

Reacting to Antonelli's recent woes, former Mercedes star Nico Rosberg said: "In Australia, he almost finished on the podium. From way back there, he finished fourth. And yes, he can do the same tomorrow. Why not? If the conditions are really mixed and up and down and all over the place, then everything is possible.

"Nevertheless, it really hurts me to see him like that because I can super relate with how tough and how horrible the moment is for him. George [Russell], again, is P6 and he’s down all the way almost at the end of the grid."

Rosberg added: "It’s so, so tough. Everybody’s criticising you and looking at you little bit negatively. Internally, in the team, it’s a very, very difficult dynamic.

"And he doesn’t have a contract for next year either, so his whole dream at some point is also at play here and it’s really a horrible, difficult moment."