Kimi Antonelli Reveals The “Real Hero’s” Behind Mercedes’ Australian GP Qualifying Domination

Kimi Antonelli credited the Mercedes crew for getting his challenger ready in time for Qualifying following his massive FP3 crash.

Kimi Antonelli Reveals The “Real Hero’s” Behind Mercedes’ Australian GP Qualifying Domination

Kimi Antonelli (via F1)

In Short
  • Kimi Antonelli achieved a front-row start at the Australian GP Qualifying despite multiple car issues.
  • He credited the Mercedes crew as the "real heroes" for quickly repairing his car after a crash in FP3.
  • Antonelli expressed the need for a cleaner weekend in future races to improve his performance.

Kimi Antonelli put forth a highly impressive run at the Australian GP Qualifying. Following Mercedes’ dominant show, Antonelli was able to achieve a front-row start for the main race. However, the Italian’s day was far from normal, as he underwent multiple problems while fighting on the track for the pole position. Now, the 19-year-old credits the ‘real heroes’ of the team who helped repair his car following his crash in FP3.

Notably, Mercedes was believed to lead development during the initial testing sessions of the 2026 season. Many people even speculated that the new regulations might finally see a Mercedes-powered champion, with George Russell being many people’s favorite to win the championship. Now, these rumors might turn out to be true, more so following Brackley’s impressive run in Australia.

Kimi Antonelli suffered from multiple car lockups and issues while running on the track during qualifying. The 19-year-old accepted that the entire day had been stressful for him. Apart from this, he suffered from a massive collision during the FP3 session, which could’ve cost him his run in the Qualifying. However, Antonelli credited the ‘real heroes’ in the crew who repaired his car very quickly.

Kimi Antonelli accepted that the entire day was a rollercoaster for him and super stressful. The Italian shockingly revealed that the car wasn’t even set up according to his way. Rather, the team just went out with the best possible setup and hoped that it worked. Ultimately, Antonelli picked up a front-row start right behind George Russell, as he might have a great shot at fighting for the race win.

It has been a very, very stressful day. The mechanics today were the heroes. We couldn’t even set-up the car, we just went out.

Kimi Antoelli said in a post-session interview.

Kimi Antonelli hopes for a ‘clean weekend’ in the upcoming race weekends

The 2026 season has just begun, with the first race still being far from over. The drivers will go racing on Sunday to fight for the race win on the track. Kimi Antonelli only has his teammate, George Russell, ahead of him. Certainly, it will be difficult to go up against a highly seasoned driver in Russell. Ultimately, the 19-year-old hopes for having much cleaner weekends over the season.

Toto Wolff and Kimi Antonelli (via Getty)
Toto Wolff and Kimi Antonelli (via Getty)

Kimi Antonelli accepted that it was not easy to recover so quickly following a massive crash in the FP3 session. He highlighted that he had to dig deep to extract the maximum out of the car. Antonelli explained that he needs a clean weekend next time, as the crash definitely compromised a lot of factors in the Qualifying session. Thankfully, Mercedes is simply faster than the rivals, as the 19-year-old was able to still achieve a P2 start for the race.

It was not easy, I needed to dig deep but I need a clean weekend next time as it did definitely compromise Qualifying.

Kimi Antonelli noted.

Kimi Antonelli has started the 2026 season off on a great note despite the collision. Mercedes’ advantage could mean that Antonelli fights for the championship towards the end of the year. For now, the year has just started, and it is too soon to rule out anyone from the battle. Only time will tell how the youngster manages to perform well and give it his all on the track.

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