Antonelli repays Wolff's trust with podium finish

Merc's Italian driver became the third youngest podium finisher in the history of F1, after Verstappen and Lance Stroll

- Sandip Sikdar

NEW DELHI: The Montreal crowd applauded as Mercedes driver George Russell took the chequered flag at the Canadian Grand Prix on Sunday, his first win of the season. The ovation got louder as Red Bull ace and four-time world champion Max Verstappen finished second. But the loudest and most emotional reaction of the day was reserved for a certain Andrea Kimi Antonelli, better known by his middle name, who achieved the maiden podium of his career. At 18 years and 294 days, the Italian became the third youngest podium finisher in the history of Formula 1, behind Verstappen and Lance Stroll.

An extremely affable character, the teenager is loved by most in the Mercedes paddock due to his humility, wit and humorous personality. But on track, he is as fast as they come. Experts questioned Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff's decision when he decided to bring on board the youngster with very little formula racing experience.

After racing in Formula 4 for a couple of seasons, Antonelli skipped F3 to directly race in Formula 2 where he finished a respectable sixth last season. But to pick him in a multiple championship winning team, that too to fill in the giant shoes of Lewis Hamilton was a humongous task.