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,

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

The F1 season-opening Australian Grand Prix was certainly a memorable one, as six drivers failed to finish and one – Isack Hadjar – failed to even reach the start, spinning into the wall on the second corner of the warm-up lap.