Mercedes F1 star slapped with FIA penalty at Chinese GP after…read more
Mercedes rookie Kimi Antonelli endured a difficult moment at the 2026 Chinese Grand Prix after stewards issued him a penalty during the sprint race at the Shanghai International Circuit. The decision came after an early-race collision that interrupted what had initially looked like a promising weekend for the Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula One Team.
The Shanghai event marked the first sprint weekend of the 2026 Formula 1 season, and Mercedes arrived looking extremely competitive. In the sole practice session held on Friday, the Silver Arrows immediately set the pace, with their drivers finishing at the top of the timesheets. Championship contender George Russell led the session, closely followed by his teenage team-mate Antonelli, giving Mercedes an early signal that their car was performing strongly under the new technical regulations.
That form continued into sprint qualifying later the same day. Russell delivered a standout performance to secure his first sprint pole position, while Antonelli completed an impressive front-row lockout for the team by qualifying second. The result reinforced the idea that Mercedes could be the dominant force early in the season, as both drivers appeared comfortable and quick around the Shanghai circuit.
However, the sprint race on Saturday told a very different story for the young Italian. While Russell made a clean getaway from pole position and maintained control at the front, Antonelli’s start quickly turned into a nightmare. As the lights went out, he struggled to launch effectively and immediately lost several positions, dropping from second place down to seventh within moments.
After the race, Antonelli explained that he had experienced issues off the line and claimed he had “no boost” available when the race began, which contributed to the poor start. With several rivals now ahead of him, the 19-year-old attempted to fight his way back through the field during the opening lap.
But in his eagerness to recover lost ground, Antonelli became involved in contact with Isack Hadjar. The incident occurred at Turn 6, where Antonelli attempted a move that resulted in the two cars colliding. Pieces of bodywork were seen scattering across the track from Hadjar’s car, which runs under the Red Bull Racing umbrella.
Race control quickly noted the incident and placed Antonelli under investigation for causing a collision. After reviewing the footage and circumstances, stewards concluded that the Mercedes driver was responsible for the contact. As a result, the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) issued him a 10-second time penalty.
The penalty later played a key role in the race strategy. On lap 13 of the 19-lap sprint, another dramatic moment unfolded when Nico Hülkenberg stopped his car at the side of the track due to an issue with his Audi Formula 1 Team machine. Initially yellow flags were shown, but the situation soon escalated into a full safety car deployment.
Mercedes reacted quickly to the neutralised race conditions. The team opted to bring both Russell and Antonelli into the pits together on lap 14 in a double-stack strategy. During his stop, Antonelli served the mandatory 10-second penalty before his mechanics completed the rest of the pit service.
After rejoining the race, Antonelli found himself down the order but still managed to recover several positions before the finish. While Russell remained in control at the front and ultimately secured victory in the sprint race, Antonelli crossed the line in fifth place after an eventful afternoon.
Following the race, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented on the stewards’ decision during an interview with Sky Sports F1 reporter Ted Kravitz. Wolff suggested that he had initially expected a slightly lighter punishment.
“I thought it could have been a five-second penalty,” Wolff said when discussing the incident. However, he acknowledged that judging racing incidents is rarely straightforward. “At the end it’s always difficult for the stewards to do the right thing,” he added.
Despite the penalty setback for Antonelli, Mercedes still emerged from the sprint race in a strong position thanks to Russell’s dominant victory. The team will now look to build on that momentum as the main Grand Prix race approaches, while Antonelli will hope to bounce back and avoid further incidents as he continues his rookie season in Formula 1. 🏁🏎️
