Lewis Hamilton replacement Kimi Antonelli shocked by 'weird' Chinese GP verdict

Lewis Hamilton's Formula 1 replacement and new Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli could not believe his luck after a shock verdict at the Chinese Grand Prix.

The 18-year-old was awarded Driver of the Day following Sunday's race in Shanghai despite seemingly having a very average race, finishing down in P8 and being promoted to P6 following the disqualification of Hamilton and Charles Leclerc.

The Driver of the Day award is decided by fans across the globe and provides a chance to highlight any unsung heroes throughout a grand prix weekend.

Antonelli has so far impressed at Mercedes during the early stages of his debut F1 season, securing points at every opportunity to date.

Antonelli wins Chinese GP Driver of the Day

The Italian youngster has often been tipped as the next big thing- Mercedes' answer to Max Verstappen if you will- and F1 team principal Toto Wolff is certainly fond of him.

Following the reveal that Antonelli had won Driver of the Day for the Chinese GP, Wolff jumped on team radio to break the good news, saying: "Kimi Driver of the Day, I just saw on the screen."

Clearly confused, Antonelli responded: "Me? That's weird,"

Wolff responded, joking: "I think it's your looks and your target group... and obviously the looks of your race engineer also," referring to Peter 'Bono' Bonnington, who was previously Lewis Hamilton's engineer at Mercedes.

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