World championship leader, Kimi Antonelli is having a remarkable second season in F1, but the Mercedes driver is also accumulating penalties and warnings : to be continued.
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Since the beginning of the year, Antonelli has received 25 seconds of penalties, three grid place drops, two warnings, a reprimand, and a fine. He will also have to start from the back of the grid at Monza due to a power unit change.
The first major penalty came in China. During the Sprint, Antonelli was found responsible for a collision with Isack Hadjar and received a 10-second penalty.
Several penalties during races
He nevertheless benefited from a safety car intervention to serve his penalty and finish fifth. In Miami, the Italian exceeded the track limits four times during the Sprint. The stewards gave him five seconds, dropping him from fourth to sixth place.
Another five-second penalty in Barcelona for similar infractions while fighting with his teammate George Russell. An additional violation was noted after the race, but Antonelli had meanwhile retired due to engine trouble.
At Silverstone, track limits cost him again. After receiving an additional five seconds, he dropped from ninth to sixteenth position before regaining a place thanks to another competitor’s penalty.
Warnings and reprimand
Antonelli was also called to order in Canada for driving too slowly during Sprint qualifying to create space ahead of him.
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In Barcelona, he received his first reprimand of the season after behavior deemed erratic in FP3. He had overtaken Lance Stroll before braking sharply. Five reprimands in a season can lead to a grid penalty.
In Monaco, a slight pit lane speed limit infraction also earned him a 100 euro fine.
Three-place penalty in Hungary
The most recent penalty came at the Hungaroring. Antonelli was penalized three grid places for not slowing down enough under yellow flag. Telemetry data showed his speed reduction was insufficient.
He also received his second warning of the year for exceeding the delta time imposed in qualifying. Antonelli explained he was distracted by a previous yellow flag, while Mercedes admitted they did not sufficiently remind him to accelerate.
These errors remain relatively minor individually, but their accumulation could become problematic in a season where every point counts for the world title.
Moreover, at the next Grand Prix in Monza, Antonelli will have to serve a grid drop due to exceeding his quota of changed elements on the power unit of his Mercedes.
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