Kimi Antonelli, the current leader in the F1 Drivers’ Championship, has been issued a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. This decision follows a rule violation during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Hungaroring, where he failed to adequately slow down under yellow flags.
The incident occurred in Q3 when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spun, prompting the deployment of yellow flags. A post-qualifying investigation found that Antonelli breached Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code and B1.8.4a of the FIA F1 Regulations.
Initially, Antonelli had qualified in fourth position. He had even provisionally moved up a spot on the grid due to a separate three-place penalty handed to Lewis Hamilton for impeding McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at the conclusion of Q3. However, with his own penalty, Antonelli will now start Sunday’s race from P7.
Stewards’ Decision and Rationale
The stewards reviewed all available evidence, including telemetry data, to reach their decision. According to their document, the driver of Car 12, Antonelli, stated that upon seeing the yellow flag and light panel, he lifted off the throttle earlier than he had on his previous push lap. Telemetry data verified this action.
However, the reduction in speed was deemed insufficient and unsustained. The stewards noted that the car’s speed when passing the scene of Verstappen’s incident was slightly higher than during Antonelli’s previous push lap. Although he lifted 16 metres earlier, resulting in him being 14 km/h slower when entering the yellow flag sector, he was ultimately 3 km/h faster when passing the incident site. This was attributed to less application of the brakes as he entered the corner.
The FIA representatives highlighted that the speed reduction within the mini sector was less than 1%. The stewards considered this incident distinct from others that have not resulted in further action, primarily because there was no significant speed delta through the mini sector compared to the driver’s previous fastest time under similar conditions.
The recommended penalty for such an offence, according to penalty guidelines, is typically a drop of five grid positions. However, in mitigation, the stewards acknowledged that Antonelli did make an attempt to reduce speed, even if it was ultimately insufficient. They also considered that the driver had limited time and distance to react to the situation. Consequently, a lower penalty of three grid positions was applied.
In addition to this grid penalty, Antonelli also received a warning from the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly on an in-lap during a separate qualifying incident.
Impact on the Starting Grid
The penalties issued to both Antonelli and Hamilton have significantly altered the starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The provisional grid now sees Lando Norris of McLaren starting from pole position, followed by Charles Leclerc from Ferrari in second.
Oscar Piastri, also from McLaren, will start third, with Max Verstappen of Red Bull in fourth. Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, will begin the race from fifth, and George Russell of Mercedes will start sixth. Antonelli’s penalty places him in seventh position on the grid.
Other notable positions on the revised grid include Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) in eighth, Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) in ninth, and Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) in tenth. The grid continues with Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) in eleventh, Pierre Gasly (Alpine) in twelfth, and Franco Colapinto (Alpine) in thirteenth. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) will start fourteenth, followed by Esteban Ocon (Haas) in fifteenth. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) is set to start sixteenth, with Ollie Bearman (Haas) in seventeenth. Carlos Sainz (Williams) will start eighteenth, Alex Albon (Williams) nineteenth, and Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) twentieth. The final two positions are occupied by Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) in twenty-first and Sergio Perez (Cadillac) in twenty-second.
Source: formula1.com
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As News-GB's Sports Reporter, Megan Sinclair reports on tennis, cricket and athletics for readers across the country. She built her name interviewing rising British talent. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of Edinburgh and completed an NCTJ diploma. Megan lives in Edinburgh, where she plays club tennis and follows track athletics. “Give the athletes room and the story tells itself.”