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Australian Grand Prix: It was a frustrating outing for Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli in his first Australian Grand Prix qualifying session, as unexpected car damage saw him eliminated in Q1. Despite early promise, the Italian teenager struggled to extract the full potential of his W16, with the team later confirming bib damage had cost him crucial performance in his final runs.

Antonelli and his teammate George Russell began the session on medium tyres before switching to softs for their final attempts. However, Antonelli’s lap was severely affected after he ran wide at Turn 6, with replays showing his car bottoming out and kicking up sparks. He ultimately finished 16th, missing out on Q2, while Russell secured a strong second-row start.

Mercedes later revealed that the damage affected Antonelli’s final two laps, limiting his straight-line speed and reducing his aerodynamic grip. Speaking after the session, the 17-year-old expressed disappointment but remained optimistic about making up ground in Sunday’s race.