“It’s a Shame”: Kimi Antonelli on His Debut Getting Mercedes Unsettling Record

There were six rookies in qualifying on Saturday ahead of the season-opening Australian GP, but most eyes were on Kimi Antonelli, who—being Lewis Hamilton’s replacement at Mercedes—was expected to lay down a marker from the outset.

The 18-year-old, however, did not have the best qualifying session, finishing 16th—a whopping 13 places behind teammate George Russell.

It was a disappointing result, even though Toto Wolff did his best to temper expectations. He had even told Mercedes higher-ups not to expect Antonelli to chase wins, podiums, or pole positions from the very start. However, Wolff would have certainly hoped for a better showing from the Italian at Albert Park.

This poor performance also saw Antonelli register an unfortunate and rather unwanted record for Mercedes.

It will be the first time that one of Mercedes’ cars has been knocked out of Q1 in Melbourne, ending an impressive 14-year streak. And it was all because Antonelli made a mistake while navigating the kerbs at turn six, which ended up damaging his W16.

“At Turn Six, the gravel on the kerb broke my car because the floor had big damage,” Antonelli said in the post-session interview. “It was kind of hanging. I could feel the car bottoming massively on the straight.”

“It’s a shame because without the damage it probably would have been a different qualifying,” he added.

Antonelli records Mercedes’ first Q1 exit at Albert Park, No Mercedes car had previously qualified below 11th here

#AusGP #F1

— Lights Out ●●●●● (@lightsoutf1.bsky.social) March 15, 2025 at 10:51 AM

Previously, the lowest finish for any Mercedes driver in Melbourne was P11, which occurred last year when Hamilton failed to reach Q2—an anomaly, as it was the first time since 2010. This year, Mercedes seems to have taken another step backward.

Can rain help Antonelli bounce back in the race?

The Australian GP won’t be as straightforward as qualifying. Rain is expected, with forecasts even predicting a thunderstorm. Several drivers commented on it post-qualifying, noting how it could make the race more interesting.

Antonelli himself knows that there’s still a lot to play for. “Well, tomorrow it’s going to rain, so anything can happen,” the Italian said. “We’ll try to build something good from there“.

That said, the wet weather could pose a challenge for Mercedes. Russell demonstrated that the W16 was quick in dry conditions, and although he was five-tenths of a second slower than pole-sitter Lando Norris, team principal Wolff remained confident in their race pace. “Realistically, we are two-tenths off McLaren,” the Austrian said.

However, with limited running in wet conditions, there are still many unknowns about which team will have the upper hand. For Antonelli, the main goal will be to break into the points-scoring positions.