Russell Shines, Antonelli Stuns: Mercedes Off to a Flyer!

Mercedes F1 Applauds Stellar Performances from Russell and Antonelli

17/03/2025

Kimi Antonelli’s stunning P16 to P4 charge and George Russell’s podium give Mercedes a boost in Melbourne’s chaotic season opener.

Mercedes F1 had a fantastic start to the season in Melbourne this Sunday, securing a podium finish with George Russell and an outstanding P4 for rookie Kimi Antonelli. Despite challenging wet conditions, Antonelli was one of the few newcomers to stay mistake-free, climbing from P16 to P4 in an impressive drive.

After the Australian Grand Prix, Team Principal Toto Wolff couldn’t help but praise his drivers.

“Both drivers did an excellent job in extremely tough conditions,” said Wolff.

“George delivered a composed and brilliant race to secure a podium, while Kimi showed incredible maturity alongside the speed we already know he has. Climbing from 16th to 4th is no easy feat. The team executed the race flawlessly, demonstrating strong operational performance. We saw many drivers fail to finish, and some teams missed their opportunities. In contrast, we maximized our result and can be proud of our Sunday.”

A Strong Start, but Work Remains

Not everything is perfect, though—Mercedes still trails McLaren in pure performance.

“McLaren was incredibly fast today. We know we need to improve if we want to fight them in normal conditions. We’ve clearly made progress over the winter, which is encouraging, but there’s still work to do. The car is responding well to both drivers, and that gives us a strong foundation to build on. Now, we’re looking forward to China next weekend.”

Wolff also shared a personal anecdote about his first race weekend without Lewis Hamilton in the team.

“It was tough! While watching the screens, I kept thinking we had three drivers—RUS, ANT… and HAM. Then you realize, oh right, HAM is at Ferrari now! It feels surreal after so many years. Of course, we care about his performance, but on track, he’s now the competition. 1-0 to us!”

Mercedes Thrives in the Chaos

Trackside Engineering Director Andrew Shovlin highlighted how well the team handled the unpredictable conditions.

“We can be pleased with our start to the season. The conditions were tough, both for the drivers and the team, but everyone stayed calm and executed flawlessly. We made the right calls at the right moments, which is why we secured a strong result.”

“George managed his race smartly. We didn’t have the pace to fight the leading McLarens, so he focused on preserving his intermediate tires in the first stint. He handled the rain on dry tires well and brought the car home in the final laps to secure our first podium of 2025.”

Shovlin was also full of praise for Antonelli’s debut performance.

“Kimi was unlucky in qualifying, but he didn’t let that hold him back. His recovery drive was remarkable—moving through the pack early on and keeping it clean while others struggled in the wet. P4 is a fantastic result for his first race.”

Now, all eyes turn to China, where Mercedes will continue refining the W16 and measuring its progress against the competition.

“Shanghai is a very different circuit from Melbourne, and it will teach us a lot. We’re aiming for another strong weekend to build on this positive start.”

Next stop: China!

Antonelli’s Heroics & Russell’s Podium Lift Mercedes Hopes!

Russell Shines – Antonelli Stuns: Mercedes Off to a Flyer! Russell Shines – Antonelli Stuns: Mercedes Off to a Flyer!

Race Center
China Flag
Chinese GP
21 Mar 2025 - 23 Mar 2025
Free Practice 1
21 MAR 03:30 - 04:30
Sprint Qual
21 MAR 07:30 - 08:14
Sprint Race
22 MAR 03:00 - 04:00
Qualifying
22 MAR 07:00 - 08:00
Race
23 MAR 07:00 - 09:00

2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix - Race Results

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
57
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
+0.895s
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
+8.481s
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
+12.773s
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
+15.135s
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
+17.413s
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
+18.423s
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
+19.826s
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
+20.448s
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
+22.473s
Pierre Gasly
11
PIERRE
GASLY
+26.502s
Yuki Tsunoda
12
YUKI
TSUNODA
+29.884s
Esteban Ocon
13
ESTEBAN
OCON
+33.161s
Oliver Bearman
14
OLIVER
BEARMAN
+40.351s
Liam Lawson
15
LIAM
LAWSON
47 DNF
Gabriel Bortoleto
16
GABRIEL
BORTOLETO
47 DNF
Fernando Alonso
17
FERNANDO
ALONSO
34 DNF
Carlos Sainz
18
CARLOS
SAINZ
0 DNF
Jack Doohan
19
JACK
DOOHAN
0 DNF
Isack Hadjar
20
ISACK
HADJAR
0 DNF
F1 CALENDAR 2025
Race
Date
Chinese Flag
Chinese
Shanghai International
23 Mar
Japanese Flag
Japanese
Suzuka Circuit
6 Apr
Bahrain Flag
Bahrain
Sakhir desert
13 Apr
Saudi Arabia Flag
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street
20 Apr
United States Flag
United States
Miami
04 May

2025 FORMULA 1 DRIVERS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

Lando Norris
1
LANDO
NORRIS
25 Points
Max Verstappen
2
MAX
VERSTAPPEN
18
George Russell
3
GEORGE
RUSSELL
15
Alex Albon
4
ALEX
ALBON
12
Kimi Antonelli
5
KIMI
ANTONELLI
10
Lance Stroll
6
LANCE
STROLL
8
Nico Hulkenberg
7
NICO
HULKENBERG
6
Charles Leclerc
8
CHARLES
LECLERC
4
Oscar Piastri
9
OSCAR
PIASTRI
2
Lewis Hamilton
10
LEWIS
HAMILTON
1

2025 FORMULA 1 CONSTRUCTORS' WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

1
McLaren
27
2
Mercedes
25
3
Red Bull
18
4
Williams
12
5
Aston Martin
8
6
Sauber
6
7
Ferrari
5
8
Alpine F1
0
9
Haas F1
0
10
Racing Bulls
0
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