Andrea Kimi Antonelli made his Formula 1 debut at Melbourne, after several months of hype surrounding his arrival as the first 18-year-old on the grid since Max Verstappen.
The Mercedes driver suffered a difficult qualifying in which he only managed P16 on the grid, but during the race he excelled by working his way through the field up to P5 on the road.
Antonelli showed impressive car control where the other rookies faltered, with four out of the six on the grid all crashing out while trying to stay on the road in the wet-to-dry conditons.
It would have been a nervous moment for Antonelli making his debut on the world stage, but he appeared to handle the pressure well and score valuable points for Mercedes.
In a behind-the-scenes look at his first weekend on Mercedes YouTube channel, Antonelli can be seen in a discussion with his physio Sergi Avila, who reminds him of something ‘super important’ moments before the start.
Kimi Antonelli told not to be late for national anthem by Mercedes trainer
The half-hour window before the start of the race can be one of the most hectic for drivers, as they go out on track to do the reconnaissance laps to the grid before a final debrief with engineers.
Drivers will also take on a lot of fluids before the start of a race, which means they will likely need to go to the toilet last minute.
There is also another thing drivers must not forget right before the start, otherwise they could face a big punishment from the FIA stewards, which Avila pointed out to Antonelli.
“Super important mate, we cannot be late for the anthem. If not, there is a big fine. So at ten past two, you should be already in the car,” said Avila.
What punishment can F1 drivers face for missing the national anthem?
As part of the pre-race ceremonies, each Grand Prix will have a national anthem played in honour of the host country.
All of the drivers usually line up at the front of the grid along with delegates, the FIA President, and F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali.
Each driver is assigned a spot they must stand in while the anthem is played, and if they are late or miss it entirely they could face a reprimand and a fine for the team.
Yuki Tsunoda was once fined €10,000 and handed a reprimand for being late at Canadian GP after being reported by FIA media delegate.
