George Russell: I was hoping Lando and Max would be wrong.

      George Russell finished third in Melbourne, while his teammate Kimi Antonelli was the best debutant. The Italian finished fourth, but after adding a 5-second penalty for unsafe entry onto the track, he moved to fifth place. The Mercedes team is in second place in the Constructors' Cup, two points behind McLaren.

      George Russell (3rd): "It's great to finish third. Excellent performance by Lando. This kind of race, when you're in the lead, turns into your worst nightmare, but he did a great job. And congratulations to Kimi, who took fifth place, which is really impressive.

      I am very happy to be on the podium. I liked it, but I was hoping that the guys in front would make a mistake and I would get past them. But it was a difficult scenario.

      Such races show the essence of Formula 1. I hope everyone who watched the race at home enjoyed it."

      Kimi Antonelli (5th): "The race turned out to be very eventful, and my team-mate finished on the podium. I didn't know I had a fine – it's a pity that it happened, but I have no reason to complain.

      The team helped me a lot to get through all the troubles. When I made a mistake and lost a little confidence, the team helped me calm down and get back into the rhythm. They made the right strategic decisions. I'm very happy with how everything went."