F1 legend Lewis Hamilton caught in Mercedes crossfire as Bono gets his revenge

Hamilton being photographed in Ferrari red on F1 grid looking at circular inset image of Bonnington in Mercedes gear — Photo: © IMAGO

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Lewis Hamilton caught in Mercedes F1 crossfire as Bono gets his revenge

Lewis Hamilton raced with Mercedes between 2013 and 2024

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 22 February 2026 17:56 Updated: 22:43

Lewis Hamilton got caught up in a prank war between his old race engineer Peter 'Bono' Bonnington and Kimi Antonelli during pre-season testing in Bahrain.

Hamilton was replaced by Antonelli last season after he opted to make the switch to Ferrari, and Bonnington remained at Mercedes to become the Italian teenager's race engineer.

And, judging by a video on Mercedes' social media channels, Antonelli and Bonnington share the kind of special relationship that Hamilton once shared with his fellow Brit.

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Antonelli could be seen firing a water pistol at Bonnington at the Bahrain International Circuit in clips shared by the team's official accounts, catching the Brit on the back of the head.

Not satisfied with two great shots, Antonelli then went in for more, trying to find Bonnington in the Mercedes hospitality suite, with the Brit actually meeting former driver Hamilton at the time, with the seven-time champion wishing him a happy birthday.

Hamilton took some interest in Antonelli's surprisingly powerful water pistol but opted to stay out of the prank wars, before Bonnington managed to get his own back.

The race engineer filled Antonelli's water bottle up with hot sauce, and the young Italian unknowingly took a sip, turning bright red and admitting he was rubbish with spice.

Bonnington, Hamilton and other Mercedes team members stood by and giggled at Antonelli, with Bono getting the last laugh, claiming 'you live by the sword, you die by the sword'.

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Is Antonelli set for a championship battle?

The last grand prix victory that Bonnington celebrated with one of his drivers was the 2024 Belgian Grand Prix, when Hamilton claimed his second win of that season. He did also win the 2024 British GP, prompting emotional celebrations with Bono as he claimed his first victory since the 2021 Saudi Arabian GP.

Bono will be hoping Antonelli can claim his first grand prix win in 2026, to provide him with yet more winning memories, after being part of the Mercedes team that won eight consecutive constructors' titles between 2014 and 2021, and winning six drivers' championships with Hamilton. Lewis also claimed 84 of his 105 Grand Prix wins with the Silver Arrows.

Antonelli may well be in a title battle this year with team-mate George Russell, with Mercedes rumoured to be the strongest team in the sport, despite Hamilton's Ferrari team looking faster during pre-season testing.

It's thought that Mercedes were 'sandbagging' quite a bit in Bahrain however, and that they have plenty more performance to unleash as the season gets underway.

F1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes Kimi Antonelli Peter Bonnington