Kimi Antonelli paid the ultimate compliment by David Coulthard after qualifying for the Bahrain Grand Prix

Andrea Kimi Antonelli produced the best qualifying performance of his burgeoning Formula 1 career at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Mercedes have been one of the surprise packages of the season, and after years of inconsistency that partially led to Lewis Hamilton’s departure from the team, they appear to have finally figured out the balance of the W16.

George Russell has been brilliant all season, and while he’s unlikely to be in a position to challenge for the drivers’ championship due to the domination of McLaren, he’s maximising the performance of his car.

His new teammate, Kimi Antonelli, had huge shoes to fill after being promoted into Hamilton’s seat this year.

A P4 finish on his debut in Australia immediately alleviated some of the pressure on the young Italian, and he’s gone from strength to strength ever since.

The Bahrain Grand Prix was the latest example of both Russell and Antonelli impressing for the Silver Arrows.

Although they both received a one-place grid penalty for a procedural mistake made by the team, Russell and Antonelli starting P3 and P5 give Mercedes another opportunity to earn a serious haul of points on Sunday.

READ MORE: Know all about 2025 Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli including stats

David Coulthard pays Kimi Antonelli a huge compliment after Bahrain Grand Prix qualifying

Antonelli was briefly on provisional pole position for Sunday’s race in Bahrain after setting a 1:30.213.

Russell and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc usurped him at the top of the standings, before Oscar Piastri became the only driver to break the 1 minute 30 barrier to take the second pole position of his career.

David Coulthard was speaking on Channel 4’s coverage of the Bahrain Grand Prix and analysing qualifying.

The stewards have handed both George and Kimi a one-place grid penalty each for the team’s infringement in Qualifying

George and Kimi will now start the Bahrain GP from P3 and P5 on the grid pic.twitter.com/WDL6JltYYO

— Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team (@MercedesAMGF1) April 12, 2025

Coulthard was worried about Lewis Hamilton after setting the ninth-fastest time in qualifying, but talking about his Mercedes replacement, he said: “Yeah, the funny thing is, I don’t really look at him as a rookie anymore!

“He just seems so established! He looks like he should be at school, well, he still is at school technically, but he’s just so assured.

“Absolutely validating the decision of the team to bring him into that position, but, as temperatures come down, Mercedes perform, as temperatures go up, they drop off.

“So, they’ll be wanting more night races and cooler conditions!”

READ MORE: All you need to know about Mercedes F1 Team from team principal to lineage

Record-breaking Kimi Antonelli faces another crucial test at the Bahrain Grand Prix

Antonelli broke two Max Verstappen records at the previous race in Japan.

He’s now the youngest Formula 1 driver to lead a race and set the fastest lap in a Grand Prix.

The jumbled-up order of qualifying in Bahrain meant that Antonelli should have had a Pierre Gasly-shaped barrier between himself and Verstappen and championship leader Lando Norris.

However, Antonelli will have both drivers starting directly behind him, meaning he faces one of the toughest challenges possible in Formula 1.

Verstappen is a notoriously fast starter, while Norris should have an immediate pace advantage in his McLaren.

The Italian may be asked to sacrifice his own race to help Russell earn yet another podium finish, but Coulthard’s admission that he no longer considers Antonelli a rookie based on how he’s started his F1 career suggests he’s more than capable of battling the likes of Verstappen and Norris.