India, April 10 -- Is it the driver or is it the car? This burning question has dogged motor racing and its recognition as a bona fide sport since the European Grands Prix of the 1920s morphed into Formula 1 in the 1950s.

Before we get into it, allow me to throw a few more questions at you: What does it take to build the fastest machines in the world? How does one maximise the potential of these machines and squeeze an extra three-tenths of a second from them around a 3.5-mile circuit while battling 21 similar behemoths?

Now what if that machine is the pinnacle of German automotive efficiency? And what if the man in it is a 19-year-old Italian prodigy?

The new Mercedes W17 car with Kimi Antonelli in the cockpit has darted across Melbou...