Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff poked fun at Kimi Antonelli while assessing his debut race at the 2025 Australian Grand Prix. Wolff revealed that Antonelli spun around the track on lap 15, a moment where the 18-year-old 'almost wet his pants.'
The 2025 Australian Grand Prix turned out to be a race to remember for debutant Kimi Antonelli. The 18-year-old, who replaced Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes this year, had to start the race from P16.
However, under extreme wet conditions, the rookie pulled off an impressive drive to finish P4. He outclassed the midfield and quickly moved up the ladder, with many experienced drivers, including Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso, facing DNF.
Meanwhile, on lap 15, Antonelli made a move to overtake Nico Hulkenberg. However, despite a clean overtake, Kimi lost his position as he lost traction and spun around the track. Luckily, the rookie avoided the crash and rejoined the grid quickly.
Recalling the moment, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff passed a hilarious comment. Talking to media after the race, Wolff said:
"Kimi did almost no mistakes except for one little spin where he said he almost wet his pants."
That spin turned out to be the only mistake of the day for Kimi Antonelli as he finished P4. Though he received a five-second penalty from the FIA stewards for unsafe release in the pit lane during his stop to change intermediate tires, as he apparently moved too close to Hulkenberg, who followed him for his own pit stop.
However, following the race, Mercedes lodged an official protest, filing a review appeal. The stewards then reviewed the incident and decided to reverse the penalty, allowing Antonelli to reclaim his P4 position.
Since George Russell also had a great weekend with a podium finish at P3, Mercedes topped the constructors championship standings with 27 points in total after the 2025 Australian Grand Prix.
Kimi Antonelli credits Mercedes for calming him down after the spin

Kimi Antonelli had a nervy moment during his debut race in Australia as he spun around the track 12. Despite a 360° turn, the rookie was fortunate enough to escape a crash and rejoin the track to finish P4.
Meanwhile, recalling the moment, Antonelli thanked his Mercedes crew for helping him regain his confidence and calming him down. Talking to Autosport, he said:
"I was lucky to spin in a place where it was safe. After I made the mistake, it kind of hurt my confidence a little bit. The team did great to calm me down and get me back into the rhythm and made all the right calls."
In a race where as many as six drivers had to retire the car, Kimi Antonelli pulled off an impressive drive to finish P4, that too in his debut F1 race.