F1 fans all agree with Max Verstappen’s reaction after Kimi Antonelli’s ‘unreal’ Las Vegas Grand Prix

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Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli was unlucky not to be named driver of the day after an incredible performance at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

During one of the most treacherous qualifying sessions of the season, Kimi Antonelli failed to advance beyond Q1 and started 17th.

Mercedes decided to start Antonelli on the soft compound tyre, the only driver to do so at the Las Vegas Grand Prix.

He got caught up in the chaos of turn one, which saw Oscar Piastri hit by Liam Lawson and Gabriel Bortoleto taking Lance Stroll out of the race.

Antonelli switched onto the hard tyres on lap three, and just like Lawson at the previous race in Brazil, got to work on executing a ridiculous one-stop strategy.

The Italian teenager then discovered that he had been handed a five-second time penalty for jumping the start, although the decision appears to be harsh to say the least, based on his onboard footage.

Forty-eight laps later, Antonelli crossed the line in fourth, losing one position to Piastri due to his penalty, but fending off Charles Leclerc in the process, clinching P5 by 0.1 seconds.

However, McLaren’s late double disqualification eventually promoted Antonelli onto the podium for the third time in his career.

This generated a massive reaction from fans, and even Red Bull star Max Verstappen couldn’t believe his result after claiming another victory.

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

Max Verstappen’s astonished reaction to Kimi Antonelli’s result at the Las Vegas Grand Prix

As the driver who finished on the podium was preparing to jump into a pink Lego Cadillac to go to the podium celebrations, Antonelli walked past Verstappen.

In the background, Antonelli can be seen walking through before stopping and turning to congratulate Verstappen on the 69th win of his Formula 1 career.

They shake hands before Verstappen appears to ask Antonelli where he finished, and the Italian raised one hand, indicating he finished fifth.

Verstappen looked visibly surprised and gave the 19-year-old a thumbs up before walking off, highlighting just how impressed he was with the Mercedes driver’s result.

Plenty of F1 fans on social media reacted in the same way as Verstappen to his display.

One fan said, ‘P5 from P17. 48 laps on hards. What a rookie driver, Kimi Antonelli.’

Another reply stated, ‘Kimi Antonelli keeping the Oscar Piastri and Charles Leclerc DRS train behind with ancient tyres and a 5-second time penalty.’

One Mercedes fan stated, ‘Start p17, By the end of the race, you are only two seconds behind your teammate, and the fastest driver on track on the oldest tyres. Finish p5 because of a five-second time penalty.’

‘Kimi Antonelli… Take a bow… P17 to P5 with a five-second penalty and a 48-lap stint on the second-longest track in the sport. Unreal,’ said another fan, while this was followed up by one supporter saying, ‘P17 to P4(5) Kimi Antonelli, you absolute monster.’

Another response to Antonelli’s race said, ‘Started 17th, 48 laps on the hard tyre, a five-second penalty and still managed to get P5… oh, Kimi Antonelli, you are a beast.’

Finally, the Italian earned a new nickname from one fan, who simply said, ‘The Great Wall of Andrea Kimi Antonelli.’

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

Toto Wolff reacts to George Russell’s podium and Kimi Antonelli’s ‘amazing’ Las Vegas Grand Prix

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff spoke to BBC Sport immediately after the race, as the Brackley-based outfit improved their chances of finishing second in the constructors’ championship.

Asked about George Russell and why he was slowing down towards the end of the race, he said: “The main issue [for George Russell] was just a lap or two he was pushing at the beginning to overtake Max Verstappen and that made the tyre suffer. At the end, the tyre ran away, that was the main issue.”

Wolff then reflected on Antonelli’s comeback and continued: “The way he pushed from P17 all the way to P5 is quite an amazing result. He would have finished P4 without a penalty.”

Antonelli is going from strength to strength in the second half of his rookie campaign with Mercedes.

After beating Russell in Brazil, he maximised the performance of his car in Las Vegas and was considerably quicker than his teammate during the final few laps of the race.