The 2025 season-opening Formula One Grand Prix in Australia was nothing short of dramatic, with the rainy, slippery-fast turns and a bunch of rookies trying to prove themselves among the world’s fastest.
Antonelli shows his class
New Mercedes signing Andrea Kimi Antonelli emerged king of the rookies on his debut, finishing in an impressive fourth behind his teammate George Russell.
Despite the wet Albert Park conditions, the Italian teenager showed why he was Toto Wolff’s pick for the season, posting faster lap times than Russell.
Antonelli and Russell may have the same car, but the 18-year-old was ninth fastest overall on the day with a best lap time of 1:24:901, almost a second faster than Russell.
Antonelli started the race in 16th and fought back to finish just shy of the podium, and no doubt send shivers through the likes of Ferrari and Red Bull, as Mercedes now pose a threat for the constructors’ title.
Mercedes and McLaren are now tied on top of the constructors’ standings with 27 points after race 1, thanks to a reverse decision that affected Antonelli’s points and finish.
The 18-year-old was penalised five seconds by stewards over what they claimed was a pit violation, but Mercedes appealed the decision and provided back-up footage of the incident that was unavailable at the time of judgement.
Antonelli, who was initially awarded a P5 finish, behind Alex Albon, was given back the P4 position and 12 points. Albon was demoted to P5 and 10 points, a stellar start for the Thai racer nonetheless.
If Antonelli and Russell can be backed up with a car as fast and sticky as the W16 performed in Australia, they may just give McLaren a run for their money at this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.
Liam Lawson: a different kind of speed
If there is another rookie to give Antonelli a fair fight this season, it’s Liam Lawson in the Red Bull Honda.
Lawson suffered an early retirement due to car failure, which the team said was no fault of his.
He had a difficult first weekend in Albert Park, crashing the car on Turn 2 last Sunday.
However, in the time he spent out during the race, Lawson posted the second fastest lap of the day behind Lando Norris, and ahead of his teammate Max Verstappen.
Red Bull CEO Christian Horner said an error on the team’s part was likely to blame for his misfortune.
Horner backed Lawson to show his worth in China on Sunday.
“We changed the car to put a bit more downforce on the car. It’s a very hard track to overtake at.
“We took a risk of leaving him out longer because he was out of the points, and we thought, ‘You know what, roll the dice and maybe it will come right’ at exactly the point it started to rain more, so it’s difficult to blame him for that last bit,” Horner said.
Next stop, Shanghai
Both rookies have been given the opportunity to show their talent and grit behind the wheel of two extremely quick machines this season. It’s no McLaren, but it’s quick enough to win a race and fend off some papaya bombs.
With China next on the calendar, Antonelli and Lawson will be looking to make bold statements early on, with a significant amount of pressure on the latter following a retirement on debut.
Antonelli said the P4 finish in Melbourne was a good confidence-booster, but is staying focused for the changes ahead in Shanghai.
There is only one practice session before the qualifying sprint in Shanghai.
“It’s a new format, definitely different compared to Melbourne, so it’s going to be important to be on top of it straightaway,” Antonelli said.
“Melbourne was a good boost of confidence. I think I was a little bit too tense, especially when it was time for qualifying.
“Now, I definitely feel a lot more relaxed and a lot more in control of the situation. There is lots to learn, but I’m looking forward to this weekend.”
