The Mercedes F1 team kicks off the 2025 season with a good start in Melbourne. A strong performance in the Australian Grand Prix netted the team 25 points, immediately propelling it to 2nd place in the constructors’ rankings.

Taking off from the 4th position in the grid, George Russel managed to take advantage of his spot to snatch a podium finish. He finished 3rd after crossing the checkered flag over eight seconds behind the winner, McLaren’s Lando Norris. The Briton’s feat earned him 15 points right off the bat.

Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 newcomer Kimi Antonelli had the odds stacked against him following a disastrous crash and floor damage before the Sunday race. Nevertheless, he aggressively improved his position from the 16th place of the grid to a 4th finish.

However, a five-second penalty from the stewards dropped his rank to 5th in the Australian GP final classification. The officials found that he was released in an unsafe manner from the pit lane right into the path of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.

The unfortunate handling of F1 authorities over the pit lane incident baffled even Mercedes F1 principal and CEO Toto Wolff. On a positive note, though, it marked a milestone for the 18-year-old driver.

With only a year spent in Formula 2 and one of the youngest drivers to start in F1, Antonelli surprised critics by scoring 10 points in his first inning in the major leagues. This also positions him for another record if he wins a race in this season’s first three events. In this case, he could break Red Bull Max Verstappen’s first F1 win at a record age of 18 in 2016.