Mercedes pokes fun at Kimi Antonelli after Bahrain GP podium blunder
The Mercedes Formula 1 team has poked fun at current championship leader Kimi Antonelli’s podium blunder at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia.
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen claimed his first victory of the 2026 season under challenging wet-weather conditions. Antonelli converted a third-place start into a second-place finish, and seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton completed the podium after finishing third.
As the three drivers were celebrating on the podium, it was a mishap by the Italian driver that caught the attention of fans. The trio was given alcohol-free rose water on the podium in keeping with Bahrain Grand Prix tradition, and Antonelli struggled to spray the drink in the usual manner.
“You’d think he’d have gotten the hang of this by now!” Mercedes posted on X alongside a video of the moment.
“The realest part is watching him shake it like that’ll fix the pressure,” one fan commented, while another added: “Because they use rose water instead of the real champagne. This is under Bahrain GP rules. Poor Kimi.”
Someone else posted: “The team should’ve told Kimi it was rose water and not champagne, poor kid. He’s never experienced anything like that before I don’t think as some countries will not let winning drivers have alcohol.”
Further comments included: “The way he looks so sad,” and “He must’ve been so disappointed that he couldn’t drown Max on his 1st win, like Max does to him!”
Antonelli’s second-place finish at the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia extended his lead in the drivers’ standings to 84 points over his team-mate George Russell, who sits second.
“Today was the maximum we could have done. Massive congrats to Max and Red Bull for the incredible weekend,” Antonelli said after the race.
“On our side, a lot of work to do. We have been struggling more than usual, but I’m still happy to come away with P2.”
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