Kimi Antonelli Calls Australian Grand Prix 'Incredible' After Career-Best Finish

Mercedes has been touted as the strongest F1 team on the grid since the back end of last year, and race weekend at the Australian Grand Prix seemed to prove all the rumors correct.

Pole position went to the Silver Arrows' George Russell on Saturday, with teammate Kimi Antonelli right behind. Both Russell and Antonelli were over half a second ahead of Isack Hadjar's Red Bull in third.

Race day saw a tight contest between both Mercedes and Ferrari after the Italian team launched hot out of the gates, but the Mercedes duo found themselves in the positions they qualified in by the time the chequered flag came down.

Mercedes car 'very strong' according to Kimi Antonelli after second-placed finish

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes — Despite looking well-tenured in 2026's season opener, Kimi Antonelli is still only entering his second season in F1. | Mercedes-Benz Media

A poor start for Kimi Antonelli from the front row meant that the Bologna-born teenager dropped down five positions to find himself in seventh after the first few laps, owing to his car having a lack of battery charge when lining up for the race start.

Finding himself involved in a battle with Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad and the McLaren of 2025 World Champion Lando Norris, Mercedes' sophomore star started to jump up the grid further into the race owing to Ferrari's differing pit stop strategy.

It was ultimately Mercedes' two-stop race plan that saw the German team get the better of both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who finished third and fourth, and Antonelli would come home second, 2.9 seconds behind Russell.

Speaking on the race from his perspective, Antonelli said:

"It's the best start we could have wished for. Unfortunately, the start was really bad and I lost a lot of places and I found myself [having] to recover... overall, it was a good race. The pace was very strong, especially at the end.

Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, 2026 F1 pre-season test | Mercedes-Benz Media

On the new regulations, which raised concerns before the season even started, Antonelli offered a much more positive opinion.

"The racing was incredible in the first few laps. The Overtake Mode is so powerful that it can give a lot of action. It was really good fun at the beginning... a bit of rest and looking forward to China."
Antonelli on the 2026 regulations

Despite the happiness shown by both Antonelli and team-mate George Russell after the latter finished P1, there is still surprise over just how well the Mercedes team is performing, with Lewis Hamilton, who spent a decade with the team before joining Ferrari, claiming he did not 'understand' why Mercedes is performing so well at Albert Park.