F1 2025: Late FIA penalty switch hands Mercedes huge title boost after Australian GP

Kimi Antonelli, George Russell, Mercedes, Australia, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

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Late FIA penalty switch hands Mercedes F1 team huge title boost after Australian GP

George Russell and Kimi Antonelli finished third and fourth respectively in Melbourne

Kevin McKenna

Monday 17 March 2025 19:57

Mercedes have received a major F1 championship boost after the FIA reversed a penalty decision at Sunday's Australian Grand Prix.

On what was a chaotic afternoon of racing amid challenging conditions at Albert Park, Lando Norris took the victory in the 2025 Formula 1 season opener.

F1 HEADLINES: Norris slips up as FIA penalty verdict changes Australian Grand Prix result

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Defending champion Max Verstappen came home second behind last year's runner-up, ahead of Mercedes star George Russell.

No fewer than six drivers failed to finish the race, including Verstappen's new team-mate Liam Lawson, and two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

One man who did enjoy his afternoon was rookie Kimi Antonelli, who made his debut for Mercedes after taking over from Lewis Hamilton.

The 18-year-old produced a composed performance which belied his age, coming home fourth behind team-mate Russell to secure 12 valuable points for his team.

Lando Norris came home first at Sunday's Australian Grand Prix

It was an afternoon to forget for Aston Martin's Fernando Alonso

However, the Italian was deemed by stewards to have made an unsafe release in the pitlane mid-race, thus handing him a five-second penalty which dropped him beneath Alex Albon into fifth spot.

Mercedes subsequently submitted a Right of Review after the grand prix, which saw the penalty overturned and Antonelli moved back up the order.

The result means the Brackley-based outfit sit level on points with reigning constructors' champions McLaren after the first race of the year.

And while Norris' win was enough to see his team end the weekend on top of the pile, it was nevertheless an excellent start to the campaign for Toto Wolff's squad as they laid down an early championship marker.

F1 drivers' standings after the 2025 Australian Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli saw his penalty overturned by the FIA following the race

F1 RESULTS TODAY: Max Verstappen beaten as F1 champion crashes out of thrilling Australian Grand Prix

F1 constructors' standings after 2025 Australian Grand Prix

George Russell (right) finished behind Lando Norris and Max Verstappen

2025 rule change removes fastest lap point

Fastest lap points have been banished for 2025. Since 2019, drivers have picked up an extra point if they finish in the top 10 and achieve the fastest lap.

However, it did lead to some drivers abandoning their races to pit and fit a set of new tyres at the end in order to claim the fastest lap point, or to stop a rival from getting the extra point.

The most famous example of this in 2024 came during Ricciardo's final F1 race, when the Australian finished last but claimed the fastest lap on the final lap of the Singapore GP, taking the extra point away from Norris and helping Verstappen's title bid.

Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes FIA Lando Norris Australian Grand Prix