Mercedes secures third and fourth positions in the Formula One season opener in Australia after challenging an untelevised penalty.

Rookie Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli made his F1 debut on March 16, finishing a very impressive fifth, but has moved up a spot after an appeal from Mercedes

Mercedes made the call to replace Lewis Hamilton with young phenom Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and the 18-year-old dazzled in his debut, finishing fourth in challenging conditions after starting in P16. For a moment it looked as if Antonelli would be demoted to fifth due to a five-second penalty that was assessed for an unsafe release,

Kimi Antonelli was given a five-second time penalty in Melbourne, before a successful petition from Mercedes to overturn it.

Mercedes have won their appeal to overturn the stewards’ decision to award Kimi Antonelli a penalty at the 2025 F1 Australian Grand Prix. Antonelli was handed a five-second penalty after he was unsafely released into the path of Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg.

A Mercedes Formula 1 driver has been demoted after a late FIA penalty at the Australian Grand Prix. UPDATE: Mercedes have since launched a right of review for the incident and the penalty has now been overturned.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli suffered a major floor damage after going off track during the Australian Grand Prix qualifying.