At his Mercedes debut in the Australian Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli briefly dreamt of a podium finish. The eighteen-year-old rookie drove an impressive comeback race, starting from the sixteenth position on the grid. With a number of daring overtakes, he skillfully worked his way forward and ultimately finished fifth, partly thanks to a smart strategic choice during the rain shower at the end of the race.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli is over the moon with his fifth place. “I’m super happy. The team did a great job. It was really a very eventful race, in which I experienced all possible conditions for my first race,” he tells F1 TV after the race. “Even though I made a few mistakes that cost me some time, I’m satisfied. But I must say, the conditions were really very challenging. Fortunately, the team guided me very well throughout the entire race, and I’m already looking forward to China.”
Good Learning Curve
The eighteen-year-old rookie seemed to feel comfortable in the difficult conditions in Melbourne. At the beginning of the race, he was one of the fastest drivers on the track and overtook Nico Hülkenberg’s Sauber with a daring, late braking action. At the end of the race, when a heavy rain shower swept across the Albert Park Street Circuit, he pitted at the right time.
Antonelli was already in the points, but now with his fifth place, he can chalk up ten points. He looks back on a good weekend and sees that he has quickly adapted at Mercedes. “I’m really happy with the progress I’ve made during the free practice sessions. Of course, the qualification was disappointing because of what happened, and I think I could have managed that a bit better myself. But it was a good experience, and today was too, to see what happens when you start from the back and how I can work my way forward. So definitely a very good learning curve, and I can’t complain about the result.”
