Kimi Antonelli’s hopes of a strong result at the Hungarian Grand Prix have taken a major hit after the FIA handed the Mercedes driver a triple setback following a post-qualifying investigation.
The Formula 1 championship leader originally qualified fourth at the Hungaroring and looked set to move up to third on the grid after Lewis Hamilton received a separate three-place penalty for impeding Oscar Piastri. However, Antonelli was later investigated for allegedly failing to slow enough under yellow flags following Max Verstappen’s spin in the closing moments of Q3.
After examining telemetry, onboard footage and other evidence, FIA stewards ruled that while Antonelli did lift off the throttle when the yellow flags were shown, his speed reduction was insufficient and was not maintained through the caution zone. They also found that his mini-sector time was only marginally slower than on his previous lap and that he passed the incident at a slightly higher speed.
The verdict resulted in a three-place grid penalty, pushing Antonelli down from fourth to seventh for Sunday’s race. The sanction also wiped out the advantage he would have gained from Hamilton’s earlier penalty.
The decision marked a triple setback for the Mercedes youngster. First, he lost the chance to inherit third on the grid after Hamilton’s demotion. Second, he received his own three-place grid penalty. Third, the FIA issued him an official warning for driving unnecessarily slowly on his in-lap during qualifying, although that incident did not carry an additional sporting penalty.
The FIA noted that failing to respect yellow flags usually results in a five-place grid penalty. However, because Antonelli made some effort to slow down and had limited time to react to Verstappen’s spin, the stewards reduced the punishment to a three-place drop.
Despite the penalty, Antonelli remains the leader of the Formula 1 drivers’ championship. He will now start the Hungarian Grand Prix from seventh on the grid as Mercedes looks to recover valuable points in Budapest.
