Mercedes reserve driver Frederik Vesti has been learning from one of the greatest Formula 1 drivers during his time with the Silver Arrows in the form of Lewis Hamilton.
The seven-time world champion has had the easiest start to the 2024 season but has a wealth of knowledge at his disposal.
Speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Vesti has outlined exactly what the 39-year-old has taught him by observing his work in the garage.
Mercedes youngster Frederik Vesti admits learning from Lewis Hamilton
It’s incredible to say that at 22 years old, time might already be running out for Frederik Vesti to ever reach Formula 1.
Mercedes don’t have a large crop of youngsters in their junior driver program like Red Bull or Alpine.
Instead, they try and pick the best of the best and coming up through the ranks, it looked like Vesti might fit that bill.
However, on his entry to Formula 2, while he showed glimpses of brilliant speed, consistency was an issue.
He went into the final race of last season with a chance of winning the title but couldn’t know Sauber junior Theo Pourchaire off the top spot.
Vesti has taken over the role as reserve and test driver in 2024 meaning he can spend the year learning from Lewis Hamilton as part of his job.
Mick Schumacher is also part of their roster and is racing in WEC this season while being linked with another team on the grid.
However, there’s another youngster within their ranks that everyone is starting to get very excited about: Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
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Frederik Vesti faces uphill battle to reach Formula 1
Asked what he’s learning when listening to Lewis Hamilton, Vesti said: “It’s great to watch when the team is winning, doing pole positions and all of that.
“But there is also a lot to learn when it is not happening and for me as a reserve driver to be here on these weekends where they’re discussing the car set-up, they’re discussing how they’re driving the car and how it should be in the future, that’s actually really good learning for me.
“But obviously, it’s frustrating for the team to be chasing a lot of lap times and hopefully can really improve in the next few weeks.”
While Vesti has been learning from Hamilton behind the scenes, Antonelli has been honing his craft in Formula 2.
He currently sits 9 in the Drivers’ Championship but given he’s only 17 years old he’s having to learn on the job against much more experienced drivers.
Toto Wolff looks set to put Antonelli in Hamilton’s seat for 2025 should he perform well enough in F2 and his Formula 1 tests behind closed doors.
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Lewis Hamilton enduring tough final season with Mercedes
The Chinese Grand Prix couldn’t have epitomised Lewis Hamilton’s 2024 season any better.
He showed his class with a brilliant lap in a wet Sprint Race qualifying session before taking the lead off Lando Norris in the race.
While he couldn’t hold off Max Verstappen in a much faster car, he’ll have been delighted with that result.
Mercedes were still learning about their car and Vesti would have seen Hamilton make some changes to his car before qualifying which had a detrimental effect.
He failed to get out of Q1 and ultimately did well to finish in the top ten and secure another two points.
Hamilton admitted he made a mistake by implementing ‘extreme’ changes for the race, but that shows that even after 20 years in the sport, there’s still things even the most experienced drivers can learn.
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