"Shame to miss out on the podium’s pink car but huge thanks to the team for the incredible effort and congrats to George for P2!" Antonelli shared via his Instagram account.

The Italian, after an underwhelming Saturday qualifying, showcased exceptional race pace and tyre management, climbing from seventeenth to fifth and finishing just a few seconds behind his teammate, who had started from the front rows.

Antonelli was the only driver to complete a 48-lap stint on the hard tyres without showing any significant drop-off in performance, despite Las Vegas being an especially demanding circuit in terms of tyre degradation.

The young Mercedes driver then inherited his third podium of the season following the disqualification of both McLarens, whose skid-block wear exceeded the 9 mm limit allowed by the regulations.

Mercedes team principal was also impressed by Antonelli’s comeback in Las Vegas, with the Italian seemingly putting behind him the difficult patch he faced during the European leg of the season.

Antonelli has delivered strong performances this year, especially on circuits he had never raced on in junior categories, with Wolff confident that next year — armed with a full season of experience — will be very different for the 19-year-old.

The Italian now sits just 16 points behind Lewis Hamilton, from whom he inherited Mercedes’ hefty legacy last year — a decision that, for now, seems to be paying off for Wolff.