Kimi Antonelli had a scintillating race at the Australian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver qualified P16 after being knocked out in Q1 and managed to make his way up the wet track of Melbourne during the race.
The Albert Park circuit was soaked to the brim, resulting in several delays and the cancellation of the F2 feature race. When the F1 race was finally underway, it was chaos. In the end, there were 6 DNFs and a fantastic debut race for Antonelli.
Kimi Antonelli storms to P4 in a chaotic Australian Grand Prix
Kimi Antonelli had a disappointing qualifying. The 18-year-old was knocked out of Q1 and started the race at P16. However, the young driver was determined and did not let his Q1 knockout affect his race.
The Australian Grand Prix was anything but boring. A wet track and changing conditions made for a race filled with red flags and safety cars.
Kimi managed to make his way up to P12 during Lap 15 of the race but lost the position to Hulkenberg after the rookie spun. By Lap 38, Antonelli had already put himself in contention for points at P10. In the end, the Mercedes driver finished strong at P4, but a penalty for unsafe release pushed him down to P4, an impressive result nevertheless.
🏁| Kimi Antonelli takes P5 after a fantastic run at the Australian Grand Prix.
The rookie has had a great start to his debut season with Mercedes!#F1 #AustralianGP pic.twitter.com/nBlrmkBP3R
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) March 16, 2025
Antonelli admitted that he made a few mistakes during the race, but the team managed to pull through.
“It was a really, really eventful race. We got all the possible conditions for a first race. Definitely not an easy one, but super happy. The team did a great job. I was happy also I managed, even though I did a couple of mistakes, which costed me a bit of time, especially with the spin,” said Antonelli after the race.
“But I have to say, conditions were super, super tricky. But otherwise, really happy. The team guided me really well throughout the whole race,” he added.
The 18-year-old managed to make a positive mark, finishing P4 on his debut race. The conditions were less than ideal for all as only Antonelli and Bearman managed to finish among the rookies.
Mercedes finishes strong at the Australian Grand Prix
Mercedes had one of the most positive starts to a season in recent years. The team has shot up to second place in the WCC at the season opener, just 2 points behind McLaren. George Russell had a fantastic race as well. The British driver finished on the podium just behind Max Verstappen and winner Lando Norris.
YESS GEORGE! THAT’S A PODIUM IN MELBOURNE 👏👏 pic.twitter.com/MvF2K8bnPY
— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) March 16, 2025
The Brackley-based outfit did not have the best luck during qualifying, but their gamble paid off in the ultimate race of the weekend. Mercedes will hope to continue the momentum in Shanghai. Both the drivers look to be in form, with the rookie looking to make a name for himself.
Formula 1 will head to the Chinese Grand Prix at Shanghai, starting 21st March 2025.
