F1 | Mercedes, Antonelli recovers and finishes 2nd: "Bad start, but overall it was a good race."

Mercedes has made a triumphant start to the season, underpinned by the new technical regulations. Compared to yesterday's superiority in qualifying, where the two Silver Arrows dramatically overcame the rest of the field, as demonstrated by the gaps they placed over Red Bull, Ferrari, and McLaren, today the Brackley-based cars emerged from the pits after a less than optimal start to the race. This was especially true for Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

The young talent from Bologna, who started from the front row thanks to the second fastest time achieved yesterday behind poleman and teammate George Russell, had a less than ideal start which caused him to slip down the standings, losing several positions.

Despite the setback, Antonelli managed to recover and climb back up the order, reaching second place after half the race, when the Ferraris of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton made their respective pit stops, unlike the pair from the Star team who instead pitted on lap 13, which they maintained until the end, thus obtaining important points in the opening race of this World Championship.

"It's the best start we could have hoped for, but unfortunately the pace was really bad: I lost pace and, above all, a lot of positions," Antonelli said after the race. "I had to fight, but overall it was a good race. My pace was really strong, especially at the end, and I can't wait for next week."

"The race was incredible. The first laps with overtake mode are so powerful that they can guarantee a lot of action. So I had a lot of fun at the beginning. Now, a bit of rest and we're already looking forward to China."