Kimi Antonelli explains 'killer' obstacle to F1 debut result

Kimi Antonelli has explained the treacherous conditions he endured, and survived, during his F1 debut in the 2025 season-opening Australian Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver recovered from P16 on the grid to finish fourth in Melbourne, prevailing whilst many of his rookie peers found the walls at Albert Park. He was not immune from mistakes, having a considerable spin at Turn 4, but did well to keep it out the barriers, much like team-mate George Russell did during practice. Detailing his adventurous first grand prix, the young Italian highlighted the "killer" white lines which caught out Isack Hadjar and Jack Doohan in the opening phase of the race - and Liam Lawson later on. "Today, we got all the worst-possible conditions for a first race," Antonelli told media including RacingNews365 . "We got wet, slicks on damp, slicks on wet, and then back to wet. So definitely really, really eventful race, but really happy with how it was managed from my side and from the team. "Of course, I did a couple of mistakes, especially the spin, but conditions were super, super tricky - also those white lines were a killer. "But really happy. The team really helped me throughout the race and made all the right calls. I definitely cannot complain about today."

Overturned penalty

Towards the end of the race, Antonelli was handed a five-second time penalty. It dropped him to fifth-place, behind Alex Albon's Williams. However, Mercedes lodged a right of review appeal to have the officials reconsider their decision , which they promptly did and subsequently reversed . Antonelli, however, was unaware of the sanction for an unsafe release in the pits during the race until after the chequered flag. "I didn't really know I had the penalty," the 18-year-old explained prior to the stewards over-turning their verdict following Mercedes' protest. "I just knew the team told me to keep pushing even in the last lap."