Kimi Antonelli says he clearly likes to make his life difficult

But the start of the day for the young Mercedes driver was a total contrast as he crashed his W17 at the end of FP3, putting his team under immense pressure as they raced against the clock to rebuild it before Qualifying.

Antonelli got lucky as Max Verstappen's crash brought out the Red Flag in Q1, which meant Mercedes had enough time to finish his car and send him out.

From there on, the 19-year-old Formula 1 driver rewarded his team as he made it to Q3 and ultimately finished second fastest in a car that was far from being in the optimal setup window, as the team did not have time for that.

That turned the spotlight on Antonelli's talent but also raised the question of what could've been.

"I clearly like to make my life difficult," Antonelli joked in Mercedes' qualifying report. "We were on the back foot after my crash in FP3, but today, the heroes are the mechanics and everyone in the garage.

"I cannot thank them enough for repairing my car in time for Qualifying. We were so tight on time that we weren't even able to set the car up properly, but they still gave me a rapid machine that enabled us to lock out the front row.

"We now have the chance to fight for a good result tomorrow," Antonelli went on. "There are no points scored on Saturday, and it will be a long Grand Prix with these new cars. It is only the first race of the year, and there are still lots of unknowns and things that can trip us up.

"We will need to do a good job tomorrow to turn this positive into a good points haul. I'm excited for the challenge and to get the season underway properly," Antonelli concluded.