Antonelli finally lifts the lid on Hamilton’s ‘secret’ Mercedes message — and it’s peak Lewis
For months, Kimi Antonelli teased a private note Lewis Hamilton had left him inside Mercedes’ hospitality unit. It sounded heartfelt, maybe even a touch profound. The kind of thing you pin to a wall and look at before stepping into an F1 car for the first time.
Turns out, it was four words and a signature.
“LEWIS WAS HERE!” scrawled across the bathroom wall, Hamilton’s autograph looped underneath. Classic. Perfect, really.
Antonelli gave Sky Sports Italia a glimpse of the graffiti around the anniversary of when it appeared — Hamilton left it when Mercedes packed up their motorhome after the 2024 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, the last time the unit was used that season. It’s been there ever since, taped to memory and, apparently, to plaster.
If you followed the breadcrumbs, you’ll remember how this started. Back at Imola earlier this year, the 18‑year‑old told the media there was a “secret message” from Hamilton waiting for him at Brackley’s mobile base. He didn’t show it then, but he did speak about what it meant.
“Unfortunately you guys cannot see, but I think it tells a lot on how Lewis is as a person,” Antonelli said in that pre‑race press conference. “I could see a lot of the human side of Lewis, not only the driver… And of course, also in the message it contains some advice. I use it as a motivation as well, to go out there and do my best.”
Was he talking about a second note we haven’t seen? Or is the advice the point: keep your sense of humour amid the madness. With a rookie season to navigate at Mercedes, Antonelli’s chosen to keep the message right where it is. “I’ll keep it there,” he said. “Every day I enter the room I can see the message. It’s a really good reminder.”
The timing made it all the more on‑brand. Hamilton, now wearing red at Ferrari for 2025, handed over the keys at Mercedes last year with a marker pen flourish — not a lecture. That’s Lewis. Ask any mechanic who’s found a doodle on a pit wall whiteboard.
And to be fair, even if the words themselves were a wink, the mentoring has been real. Hamilton’s been a public backer of Antonelli as the Italian’s taken on the most scrutinised debut in years. “I always let him know that I’m there,” the seven-time World Champion said earlier this season. “I think it’s always important to let people know they’re not alone… I try not to encroach, like get in the way or anything like that, but just let them know that you can always lean on me if you have any needs.”
Hamilton didn’t stop at platitudes, either. He talked about the pressure, the noise, and how different 18 can feel when the car’s yours and the stopwatch never blinks. “He’s already got an amazing group of people around him, and he’s 18. I mean, I wasn’t ready at 18. He clearly is, because he’s done a great job this year… He’s clearly got the ability, and it’s just about experience. It’s very difficult when you want to succeed, and with all the pressure and everything, it’s sometimes difficult to handle, but I think he’s been doing really, really well, and he’s a really great lad.”
So yes, the reveal was funny. It also tracks with the baton being passed from silver to red without any frost. Hamilton left Mercedes with warmth and, in this case, a Sharpie. Antonelli walked into that space and saw more than a scribble — he saw a nod from one of the sport’s greats that he belonged in the room.
In a paddock obsessed with tenths and telemetry, there’s still room for a bit of human. A message that’s part memento, part mischief, and — if you’re an 18‑year‑old carrying the hopes of Brackley — a decent reminder to breathe.
There’s a neat symmetry to it, too. Hamilton’s Ferrari story is in full flow this season. Antonelli’s Mercedes chapter is just beginning. Between them, a bathroom wall at Monza bearing witness to both: one career turning a page, the other cracking open the first. And somewhere in the middle of it all, four words that say enough. Lewis was here. Now it’s Kimi’s turn.
