Lewis Hamilton left Kimi Antonelli a message on his Mercedes room wall before he became world champion

Kimi Antonelli was crowned the youngest Formula 1 champion in history at the Mexican Grand Prix on Sunday, and Lewis Hamilton's "special" message to the Italian has emerged.

Antonelli beat Sebastian Vettel's 2010 record of 23 years and 134 days, securing the coveted F1 title at 20 years and 68 days after an incredible campaign that has included nine race wins and 16 podiums.

A third-place finish at the Mexican Grand Prix was enough to seal his history-setting title win and, after replacing Hamilton at Mercedes alongside George Russell in 2025, it felt fitting that he followed in his predecessor's footsteps.

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Lewis Hamilton left Kimi Antonelli a 'special' message before leaving Mercedes

Hamilton won six of his seven F1 championships across his 12 seasons with Mercedes before joining Ferrari, cementing his place as arguably the greatest driver in the sport's history.

The Englishman's final campaign with the Silver Arrows was undoubtedly sad, and his realisation that he would not spend time in his room in the squad’s European motorhome again after the Italian Grand Prix sparked plenty of emotions.

According to Stephen Lord - one of Hamilton's closest colleagues - he was "touched" about leaving the room behind, but the 41-year-old also left a "special" handwritten note for Antonelli on the Mercedes room wall.

"I walked into the room and on the wall there’s quite a long, handwritten note,” Lord said on an episode of Beyond The Grid in December 2024.

“It was a note to Kimi and it was basically welcoming him to his new room, and it was wishing him the best of luck, saying some really nice things about the team and how, ‘if you care for them, they'll care for you because they're a great team.’

“I thought, ‘wow, what a nice thing to do.’ And actually we've had glass cut, and it's now covered in the room so it will be there forever more. I thought I'd just go into the bathroom and make sure that everything's been packed away and we've got all we need.

“I walked into the bathroom and next to the toilet, above the toilet roll holder, was ‘Lewis was here’ with a big smiley face and I thought, ‘okay, I like that.’ But the note to Kimi was pretty special.”

Hamilton's classy message for Antonelli shows how highly he rated the 20-year-old before he succeeded him at Mercedes.

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How Kimi Antonelli responded to Lewis Hamilton's message

When reflecting on an "emotionally draining" debut F1 campaign in May 2025, Antonelli spoke about his feelings when reading the letter and how much it had meant to him that Hamilton took the time to write it.

"It [says] a lot on how Lewis is as a person. I think I could see a lot of the human side of Lewis, not only the driver.

“Reading the message, it fulfilled my heart to receive such a message from such a figure in the sport. He has done so much and he’s still right there, giving his best, and he’s one of the best in history.

“To receive such a message, it’s amazing, and of course also in the message it contained also some advice, and I use it as a motivation to go out there and do my best, because it doesn’t happen every day.”

The F1 prodigy then confirmed that he kept the letter, adding: “Yes, it’s actually on the wall, so I will keep it there, because I think the message is so nice that I just want to leave it there. Every day I’m in the room, every time I enter the room, I can see the message, and it’s also a really good reminder.”

Antonelli and Hamilton have since shared incredible respect for each other - even as rival drivers - with the latter congratulating him on his F1 title win after the Mexican Grand Prix.

"Let me start with a huge congratulations to the new champion, @kimi.antonelli. To have seen your journey so closely and to be there celebrating with you was a highlight of my year," the seven-time world champion wrote on Instagram.

"So well deserved and a record that will stand for a long time. It was great to see your team at Mercedes celebrating with you. Enjoy this moment, keep your family close, keep your passion and your energy."