Young F1 star Andrea Kimi Antonelli reflects on ‘surprising intensity' of his first race with Mercedes

Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli confessed he was "surprised by the level of intensity" needed to stay competitive during his first Formula 1 race in Australia. The young Italian is gearing up for his second outing at the Chinese Grand Prix this weekend.

The 18-year-old replaced seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who moved to Ferrari. Antonelli finished fourth in a rain-soaked Melbourne race, overcoming a 16th-place qualifying position after running wide and damaging his car.

"Definitely, for a first race, they were not the easiest of conditions," Antonelli mentioned in a news conference ahead of Shanghai.

"It was a good experience. What really surprised me was the level of intensity I have to keep to perform and stay with the front-runners. It's all so intense. As a driver, you want to be on top of your game."

Antonelli, one of six new drivers this season, began driving single-seater cars in 2021, skipped Formula 3, and accelerated through Formula 2 with private tests in older cars. His fourth-place finish in Melbourne made him the youngest F1 debutant to score points, but his debut was previously marred by a high-speed crash during practice at last year’s Italian Grand Prix.

"Monza was a terrible moment for me as a driver, but I learned a lot from it," said Antonelli. "I was like no fear ... on the limit, not caring about anything else," he reflected. "I learned it's better to take a step back and push progressively."

Mercedes paired Antonelli with race engineer Peter Bonnington, who previously worked with Schumacher and Hamilton. "Having someone who has gone through all that already really helps," Antonelli added.

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