Antonelli hit with grid penalty for Hungarian GP after yellow flag breach in Qualifying
Kimi Antonelli, the current leader in the F1 championship, has been issued a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix. This decision follows a rule infraction during Saturday’s qualifying session at the Hungaroring.
The penalty stems from an investigation conducted after qualifying, which determined that Antonelli did not reduce his speed sufficiently under yellow flag conditions. These flags were displayed in Q3 after Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spun. This action was found to be in 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 infraction
During the stewards’ review, Antonelli, driving Car 12, stated that he lifted off the throttle earlier than his previous push lap upon seeing the yellow flag and light panel. Telemetry data confirmed this action. However, the reduction in speed was deemed to be for a very brief period.
The stewards noted that Antonelli’s car speed when passing the incident site involving Car 3 (Verstappen) was slightly higher compared to his previous push lap. 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 due to less braking application into the corner.
FIA representatives highlighted that the speed reduction within the mini sector was less than 1%. The stewards differentiated this incident from others where no further action was taken, as 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 such an offence, according to the guidelines, is typically a five-grid position drop. However, the stewards applied a reduced penalty, acknowledging that Antonelli did make an attempt to reduce speed, albeit an insufficient and unsustained one. They also considered that the driver had limited time and distance to react to the situation.
Impact on the starting grid
Initially, Antonelli had qualified in fourth position. His provisional grid spot was set to improve further due to a separate three-place penalty handed to Lewis Hamilton for impeding McLaren driver Oscar Piastri at the conclusion of Q3.
With his own three-place penalty, Antonelli will now start the race from P7. This adjustment adds to the challenge for the Italian driver as he aims to maintain and potentially extend his lead in the Drivers’ Championship standings.
In addition to the grid penalty, Antonelli also received a warning from the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly during an in-lap in a separate qualifying incident.
The revised starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix sees several changes. Lando Norris of McLaren will start from first position, followed by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in second, and Oscar Piastri in third. Max Verstappen will begin the race from fourth, with Lewis Hamilton in fifth, and George Russell in sixth. Kimi Antonelli will start from seventh on the grid.
Other notable positions include Isack Hadjar in eighth, Arvid Lindblad in ninth, and Nico Hulkenberg in tenth. The grid continues with Liam Lawson in eleventh, Pierre Gasly in twelfth, and Franco Colapinto in thirteenth. Gabriel Bortoleto is in fourteenth, Esteban Ocon in fifteenth, and Fernando Alonso in sixteenth. Ollie Bearman will start seventeenth, Carlos Sainz eighteenth, Alex Albon nineteenth, and Lance Stroll twentieth. The final two positions are held by Valtteri Bottas in twenty-first and Sergio Perez in twenty-second.
Source: formula1.com
