Kimi Antonelli entered the Miami Grand Prix weekend riding high as the first teenager in history to lead the Formula 1 World Drivers' Championship. But after a rollercoaster Sprint Race, the young Mercedes star is already looking to bounce back.

Antonelli qualified an impressive second for Saturday's Sprint, lining up right behind reigning champion Lando Norris of McLaren. However, the Italian's season-long struggle with race starts appeared to resurface when he lost ground off the line. But according to Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, the blame doesn't belong to the 19-year-old.

"We were hoping we'd be able to hold on," Wolff told Sky Sports. "But obviously if you have such a bad getaway—which wasn't at all Kimi's fault, it was a glitch on our side—it's difficult."

Antonelli himself confirmed that his procedure was spot-on. "The start, to be fair, the procedure was all good. We need to check what happened because the drop was good, and for once, I did everything right," he said. "It was a shame because it just compromised the race. The pace wasn't too bad at the end, but it was difficult out there."

Unfortunately, the tough luck didn't end there. Late in the race, Antonelli was hit with a five-second penalty for repeatedly exceeding track limits at Turn 11. Though he crossed the line in fourth place—more than four seconds ahead of teammate George Russell—the penalty dropped him to sixth, netting just three points instead of five.

The drama opened the door for Max Verstappen, who had already battled past Lewis Hamilton. Hearing news of Antonelli's penalty over the radio, Verstappen kicked his final lap into overdrive, making up two positions to close in on Russell. While there wasn't enough time for a direct fight, Verstappen finished just inside the five-second window, snatching fifth place—his best finish of the season so far.

Mercedes was one of the few top teams not to bring major upgrades to Miami, making Antonelli's raw pace even more encouraging. Now, with lessons learned and a clean slate ahead, all eyes are on the young Italian to see how he responds in the main event.