Kimi Antonelli has been issued a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix following a rule violation during Saturday’s Qualifying session. The penalty means the championship leader will start the race from seventh position, adding to the challenge as he aims to extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
The penalty stems from an investigation conducted after Qualifying, which found that Antonelli failed to slow sufficiently for yellow flags. These flags were deployed after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spun in Q3. Antonelli’s actions were deemed a breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code and B1.8.4a of the FIA F1 Regulations.
Details of the Infringement
Stewards reviewed all available evidence, including telemetry data, to reach their decision. According to the stewards’ document, 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 confirmed this initial reduction in throttle application.
However, the reduction in speed was brief and not sustained. The car’s speed when passing the scene of the incident involving Verstappen was slightly higher than during Antonelli’s previous push lap. The mini sector time was only 0.03 seconds slower than his best time for that mini sector. While he was 14 km/h slower entering the yellow flag sector due to lifting 16 metres earlier, he was 3 km/h faster when passing the incident site because he applied the brakes less entering the corner.
FIA representatives noted that the speed reduction within the mini sector was less than 1%. The stewards differentiated this incident from others that have not resulted in further action, noting that in this case, there was no significant speed delta through the mini sector compared to the driver’s previous fastest time under similar circumstances.
The recommended penalty for this type of offence, according to penalty guidelines, is typically a five-grid-position drop. However, the stewards considered mitigating factors. They acknowledged that Antonelli did make an initial reduction in speed, though they determined it was insufficient and unsustained. Additionally, the driver had limited time and distance to react to the situation, which led to a lower penalty being applied.
In a separate incident during Qualifying, Antonelli also received a warning from the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly on an in-lap, though this did not result in a grid penalty.
Impact on the Starting Grid
Antonelli had initially qualified fourth fastest. He had provisionally gained a grid spot due to a separate three-place penalty issued to Lewis Hamilton for impeding McLaren rival Oscar Piastri at the end of Q3. However, with his own penalty, Antonelli will now drop to seventh on the starting grid for Sunday’s race.
The penalties have significantly reshaped the starting order for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The revised grid sees Lando Norris of McLaren starting from first position, followed by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in second. Oscar Piastri, also from McLaren, will begin in third place.
Max Verstappen will start from fourth, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth for Ferrari. George Russell of Mercedes takes sixth position, placing Antonelli directly behind his teammate in seventh. The rest of the top ten includes Isack Hadjar for Red Bull in eighth, Arvid Lindblad for Racing Bulls in ninth, and Nico Hulkenberg for Audi in tenth.
The full starting grid after the penalties is as follows:
- Lando Norris (McLaren)
- Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
- Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
- Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
- Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
- George Russell (Mercedes)
- Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
- Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
- Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
- Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
- Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
- Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
- Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
- Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
- Esteban Ocon (Haas)
- Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
- Ollie Bearman (Haas)
- Carlos Sainz (Williams)
- Alex Albon (Williams)
- Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
- Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
- Sergio Perez (Cadillac)
The Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday.
Source: formula1.com
Lucy Ashby is a Sports Reporter at NewsGB. She reported on the county circuit and Team GB. She focuses on tennis, cricket and athletics and is known for clear, deadline-driven reporting. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from Durham University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Now based in Durham, she plays club cricket and follows distance running. “The best sport reporting starts by listening.”
