Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli suffered a dramatic crash during the final practice session ahead of the Australian Grand Prix at Melbourne’s Albert Park Circuit on Saturday.
The incident occurred in the closing minutes of the session when the young Italian driver had just begun a flying lap. Antonelli lost control of the car at the exit of Turn 1sending his Mercedes heavily into the outside wall.
Kimi Antonelli into the barrier! 😱
Here’s the sizeable crash which ended the Mercedes driver’s FP3 👇#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/ZC1PrM1JE0
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2026
After the initial impact, the car slid back across the track and struck the concrete barriers again, resulting in a violent double impact that caused significant damage to the car.
Despite the severity of the crash, Antonelli quickly confirmed over team radio that he was unhurt. The 17-year-old driver safely climbed out of the car moments later, providing relief to the Mercedes garage and fans watching the session.
However, the accident has left the Mercedes mechanics with a major repair task ahead of Qualifying later on Saturday. The team now faces a race against time to rebuild the car after the heavy damage sustained during the crash.
Antonelli, who is competing in his debut Formula 1 season, has shown strong pace throughout the weekend in Melbourne. The team will now hope they can repair the car in time so he can take part in qualifying for the Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park.
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