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 at the chequered flag in Melbourne, before a successful petition from Mercedes to overturn it. Antonelli finished fourth on the road in what was a stellar debut race in Formula 1,

A wet and windy Albert Park offered a daunting test for the six drivers starting a Formula One season for the first time at the Australian Grand Prix on Sunday but Mercedes' teen talent Kimi Antonelli passed his exam with flying colours.