How Kimi Antonelli created history at Las Vegas Grand Prix, he did something Lewis Hamilton couldn’t

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Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli had a race to remember at the Las Vegas Grand Prix, despite a disappointing qualifying session and a false start.

Kimi Antonelli went into the Las Vegas Grand Prix hoping to salvage his weekend after starting from 17th on the grid.

Mercedes recorded a one-two finish in Las Vegas last season, but that was never on the cards this year, as Max Verstappen delivered a dominant victory.

Antonelli was the only driver to start on the soft compound tyres, but carnage at the first corner offered the 19-year-old a unique opportunity.

He was able to immediately dive into the pits and started a mammoth 48-lap stint to get to the end of the race.

Fans were amazed by Antonelli’s performance, as despite picking up a five-second time penalty for a marginal false start, he crossed the line in fourth before dropping to P5 once his punishment was applied.

However, both McLaren drivers were then disqualified, promoting Antonelli into the top three, alongside teammate George Russell.

It means Antonelli became only the third driver in Formula 1 history to finish on the podium in their rookie season when they started a race from 17th or worse on the grid.

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

Kimi Antonelli makes Formula 1 history with Las Vegas Grand Prix podium finish

Antonelli initially made up 12 places to finish fifth in Las Vegas, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.1 seconds when his penalty was applied.

However, his promotion to third meant he achieved a comeback from such a lowly grid spot that even the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher or Ayrton Senna couldn’t match.

Only two rookies have ever achieved what Antonelli did before: Nelson Piquet Jr. at the 2008 German Grand Prix and Rolf Stommelen at the 1970 Austrian Grand Prix.

Piquet finished second for Renault, five seconds behind Hamilton, after starting 17th, while Stommelen came home in P3 behind Ferrari drivers Jacky Ickx and Clay Regazzoni to claim his only Formula 1 podium.

Stommelen did technically take part in an F1 race the year before, putting his rookie status in doubt, but he was racing in a Formula 2 car and wasn’t eligible to score points.

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Kimi Antonelli reacts to his mega comeback at the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix

Antonelli was speaking in his official post-race media session before learning of his podium promotion. He said: “I am very happy with how our race went this evening.

“It felt like redemption after yesterday, where we were knocked out in Q1. It was a shame that we started so far back, as without that, we would have definitely been in the hunt right at the front.

“That said, we need to be pleased with how we performed today and that we were able to add good points for the team after a difficult qualifying.

“Halfway through the race, I started to see some graining on the front tyres. That made me a little worried that we would be forced into a second stop and lose the positions we had gained.

“I was focused on talking to the tyres and just asking them to hold on! Eventually, the graining cleaned up, and I was able to put some strong laps in and limit the damage of our penalty to take P5.”