Antonelli eager to build on the strong weekend in Australia in the coming races

Having completed his F1 debut with Mercedes at the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, Andrea Kimi Antonelli insisted that he wants to build on the momentum he gained in Melbourne next weekend when racing continues in China.

Mercedes' 18-year-old Italian sensation Andrea Kimi Antonelli started from the back of the field after a tough qualifying. However, he performed a series of good overtakes in the eraly stages of the race.

When the late rain arrived, he came in for intermediates at the right time, and he managed to climb through the field and take the flag in fourth. Although he dropped to fifth thanks to a time penalty for an unsafe release, Mercedes managed to overturn the penalty, and Antonelli regained his impressive fourth-place finish.

"That was an incredibly eventful race! The conditions were super tricky out there. We had so many different conditions that we had to cope with today, but I think we did a good job as a team.

"I was happy with how we managed everything from start to finish and to come home P4, having started P16, is really positive. I definitely can’t complain about how my debut race in F1 has gone. It was also great to see George up on the podium for the team. Whilst we didn’t have the pace to challenge the McLarens, it’s always good to pick up silverware.

Antonelli continued: "The whole weekend has been a good learning experience. Being knocked out in Q1 after suffering floor damage yesterday was obviously disappointing.

"To bounce back today though, and experience so much in one race, is really good for my development as an F1 driver. We’ve had a strong first weekend and I’m looking forward to building on that in China next week," concluded Antonelli.