Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes (P4): 9/10
What a statement drive from the 18-year-old Mercedes driver. Thrusted into a top team at such a young age, there wasn’t a huge expectation on Antonelli to deliver straight out of the gates. But his performance in Melbourne was perhaps the standout of the day. We can safely ignore his Q1 exit on Saturday, as it was due to damage to his car’s underside. He was one of the very few to make actual on-track overtakes in the first half of the race, no mean feat considering how greasy the circuit was at the time. The teenage charger was pushing his Mercedes to the limit, yet appeared calm and relaxed on the radio, picking apart numerous drivers who by contrast were tentative and unwilling to push the boundaries. He came within a couple of seconds of teammate Russell, despite starting the race 12 positions behind. A dream debut for the rookie.
George Russell, Mercedes (P3): 7/10
It was a quiet race for Russell, but staying out of trouble was all the Briton needed to do to claim a podium in a car that perhaps doesn’t deserve to be there on raw pace. The fact that Antonelli was catching him at a rate of knots towards the end of the Grand Prix may have ruffled some feathers in the Mercedes garage, however.
