Antonelli elated with ‘the best start we could have wished for’ in Australia

Kimi Antonelli was delighted as Mercedes achieved “the best start we could have wished for” at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, rounding out a rollercoaster weekend with a hard-fought P2 behind winner George Russell.

Antonelli faced two setbacks in the first round of the season as he suffered a major crash in FP3 before recovering to qualify in second place. His front row start was then jeopardised as he tumble down the order, before forcing his way back through the field.

Over the course of the first stint, he caught up to the frontrunners at a rapid rate, clearing Arvid Lindblad and Isack Hadjar to improve to P4 before Mercedes executed a flawless strategy which helped them to finish ahead of Ferrari.

“It was the best start we could have wished for,” Antonelli said after the race. “Unfortunately the start was really bad and I lost a lot of places and found that I had to recover, but overall it was a good race. The pace was very strong, especially at the end, and I’m just looking forward to next week.

“The racing was incredible on the first few laps. With the overtake, it’s so powerful that it can give a lot of action, so it was really good fun at the beginning. Now a bit of rest and looking forward to China.”

At one stage of the weekend, it looked like the Italian wouldn’t even be able to partake in Qualifying due to the extensive damage sustained in his FP3 crash, but Mercedes were able to repair the car just in time for him to progress from Q1.

He ultimately maintained his Qualifying position of P2 to secure his fourth career podium, but it was far from a straightforward drive. Asked to elaborate on the problems he faced at lights out, when the grid tried a new start procedure for the first time, he replied: “We had an issue at the start with the battery, then the procedure was very stressful.

“I had a lot of wheel spin and it was a pity – I couldn’t even do burn outs going to the grid, but the pace was very strong and I think it’s very promising.

“I think it’s going to be a fun year. Of course the team did incredible and today was possible because of yesterday. The team was able to fix the car yesterday and it allowed me to still perform. I’m super happy.”