Kimi Antonelli left confused after major error during Chinese Grand Prix ceremony
Kimi Antonelli couldn't believe what happened after winning the Chinese Grand Prix.
Nasir Jabbar
Kimi Antonelli was left visibly shocked after a major error during the Chinese Grand Prix podium ceremony.
Antonelli beat his Mercedes teammates George Russell to clinch his first Formula 1 victory at the Chinese Grand Prix.
The 19-year-old showed composure beyond his years to become the second youngest grand prix winner in history - a day after becoming the youngest pole-sitter.
Antonelli joined Russell and Lewis Hamilton, who secured his first podium finish for Ferrari since joining them at the start of last season, on the podium following the race.
Advert
As he made his way to the podium, the announcer made a huge blunder on the mic.
The announcer introduced Antonelli as Kimi Raikkonen, who drove for the likes of McLaren and Ferrari during his distinguished F1 career.
Both Russell and Hamilton cut confused figures as Raikkonen joined them on the podium after being called Raikkonen.
To his credit, Antonelli took the mishap in good spirits as he looked in a jovial mood.
After the Italian driver was introduced as Raikkonen, Mercedes made light of the situation as they shared an amusing post on social media.
They uploaded a clip of the teenager being called Raikkonen, accompanied with the caption: "Erm... that doesn’t sound right?"
The error didn't ruin Antonelli's day at the Chinese Grand Prix as he fought back tears and struggled for words during his emotional post-race interview.
"George is an incredible driver, very strong on all aspects, so it's going to take a lot to beat him. But it's a great opportunity to be working with him as well because I have been learning a lot from him," he said.
"Looking forward to the rest of the season now. I always focus race by race, so we'll see where we end up at the end of the year."
Despite Antonelli's brilliant race, Toto Wolf played down suggestions he could win this year's F1 championship.
Mercedes boss Wolf explained: "You can kind of see the hype that is going to start now, especially in Italy. I see already the headlines, 'world champion' or whatever. That's really not good because those mistakes are going to come.
"He's just a kid, so it's too early to even think about a championship."