Source:REUTERS/Maye-E Wong
[Saba Sports News] Since joining the Mercedes team in 2013, British driver Lewis Hamilton has been working with race engineer Peter Bonnington, and they have become the most successful pair in F1 history. In addition to winning 84 Grand Prix championships, Hamilton has also won six F1 World Championships with the Mercedes team. Last month, Hamilton won the British F1 Grand Prix, ending his two-and-a-half-year championship drought. After winning the championship, Hamilton had an emotional exchange with Bonnington on the radio, and they subsequently stood together on the podium, demonstrating their strong bond. However, with Hamilton joining the Ferrari team after the end of this season, Bonnington’s future has also become uncertain. Considering his senior position and track record, the Mercedes team is making efforts to retain him. Mercedes team CEO Toto Wolff is prepared to offer a seat to young driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli, believing that he will become the next Max Verstappen, which would be a huge gamble. Antonelli is not yet 18 years old and would become the youngest driver in the starting grid, but he lacks F1 experience. According to formu1a.uno, Bonnington is no longer considering joining the Ferrari team. It is reported that this decision was made after Bonnington watched Antonelli’s test. When Hamilton joined Mercedes, he was already a world champion, while partnering with Antonelli would be a completely different but exciting challenge for Bonnington. Bonnington decided to accept this challenge and turned down Ferrari’s invitation, which deeply affected Hamilton.