Antonelli took ‘good boost of confidence’ from F1 debut as he gets set for ‘different’ challenge with first Sprint in China

Kimi Antonelli has taken a moment to reflect on his whirlwind Formula 1 debut at the Australian Grand Prix, after the Italian teenager impressively scored points at the first time of asking.

With three solid practice sessions under his belt, Antonelli’s weekend was made more challenging when he dropped out of Qualifying in Q1 – an outcome triggered by a kerb strike that caused significant car damage.

READ MORE: Antonelli ‘super happy’ with P4 finish on debut in Australia after starting from P16

However, the long-time Mercedes protégé put that disappointment to one side and came back fighting on race day, brilliantly navigating a wet-dry-wet encounter to take fourth position at the chequered flag.

Antonelli admitted that his debut was “far from perfect” given that aforementioned Qualifying disappointment, but still took plenty of positives from the weekend – while opening up on just how “intense” he found it all.

“After two days [post-race], I realised I’d just done my first-ever Grand Prix and it was an amazing feeling,” he commented as the F1 paddock reconvened in China on Thursday.

“What really surprised me going into the weekend was how intense it was already from Free Practice 1, which people might not think, but it’s already very intense because you want to be on top of the game straightaway.

“But I really enjoyed it out there and definitely also gained really good experience. Especially the race, getting all of those conditions was really good, because I was able to experience and try the intermediates and see how the car was on the wets.

READ MORE: Wolff assesses Antonelli’s performance after impressive P4 on debut in Australia

“Also, starting at the back, even though it was not nice, that was a good lesson to see how you have to manage starting from the back to progress through the field, so definitely, it was a really good experience, the first weekend."

With the Shanghai International Circuit hosting the first Sprint weekend of the 2025 season, Antonelli shared his mindset for the next challenge in his burgeoning F1 career.

“It’s a new format, definitely different compared to Melbourne, so it’s going to be important to be on top of it straightaway,” he said, referring to there being just one practice session before Sprint Qualifying.

“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.”

Antonelli finished last weekend’s race at Melbourne’s Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit on the tail of experienced team mate George Russell, who gave his assessment of where Mercedes sit in the F1 pecking order after the season opener.

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Asked if he believes McLaren are still a chunk ahead of the Silver Arrows, Russell replied: “Unfortunately, yes, for the time being. They’re doing an amazing job and we need to try to find out what that little trick is that they’ve found, because they’ve even extended the gap on last year, which is pretty damn impressive.

“Afterwards, I think it’s anyone’s game between us, Red Bull and Ferrari. I don’t think Ferrari really showed their true potential last week. I think things went slightly away from them and I’m sure that once Lewis [Hamilton] gets his head around the new car, he’ll be fully on it as well.

“It was a good weekend for us, but we’re not going into this weekend expecting that it’ll be plain sailing for another podium.”

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