Kimi Antonelli stated he was `super sorry` for the incident that took Max Verstappen out of the Austrian Grand Prix. A first-lap collision between the two drivers has resulted in the Mercedes driver being handed a grid penalty for the next race at Silverstone.
The young Antonelli was caught out at Turn 3 when his tyres locked up, causing him to shunt into the Red Bull of a helpless Verstappen. The resulting damage forced both competitors into immediate retirement from the race.
As the 18-year-old Mercedes driver was already out of the race in Spielberg, his punishment for causing the accident will be applied at the subsequent round. The stewards decided that a three-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix, along with two penalty points, was appropriate.
Speaking after the race, Antonelli explained the sequence of events: “I didn`t necessarily brake too late,” he told Sky Sports F1, “it`s just that when I braked, I braked hard because I was behind other cars, and in that moment, I locked the rears. Then I just couldn`t stop the car.”
He continued, “I locked the rear and then lost the car and then had to avoid (Liam) Lawson. Then it was too late because I was arriving just too quick. I started to lock the front and instead of decelerating, I was accelerating. The car was just taking speed, and the crash was inevitable.”
He added, “Just feel super sorry to the team, and to Max of course, because obviously he was just a passenger.”
Antonelli made these comments before the stewards had completed their investigation, but seemed to anticipate a penalty as he shifted his focus towards regaining form at Silverstone.
“Of course, it`s a big mistake,” he stated. “Now we need to move forward and focus on Silverstone. We`ll see if we get a penalty or not, but it`s going to be important to get back and start doing like I did in Canada.”
Verstappen Reflects on Unlucky Weekend
Max Verstappen`s Austrian weekend was already marred by bad luck on Saturday when Pierre Gasly`s spin ruined his final qualifying lap, leaving him starting the race from seventh place. He unfortunately paid the price for a midfield start when he became an unavoidable casualty of Antonelli`s first-lap incident.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Verstappen commented, “It`s just unlucky, like yesterday in qualifying. But overall, we didn`t really have that great pace anyway this weekend, so a lot of learning for us how we can hopefully do better next weekend. But of course, not an ideal result today.”
When asked about his conversation with Antonelli immediately after the crash, Verstappen explained, “I just asked what happened, because he was the only car that was there with me with his wheel hanging off, so I was like, maybe, well, I`m pretty sure that he hit me. Then of course I saw the footage once I came back and it happens. Every driver has made a mistake like that. Everyone has made a mistake like that in their careers and also Kimi is a very big talent, so he learns from that and that`s all fine.”
The incident delivered a significant blow to Verstappen`s already slim chances of securing a fifth consecutive world championship title. His points deficit to championship leader Oscar Piastri widened to 61 points after Piastri finished second, behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
Asked if Sunday`s outcome had effectively ended his title aspirations, Verstappen replied: “Hopefully then people will not mention it too much anymore. We try to do our best, always. My mentality doesn`t change. We`ve won a lot in the past. Sometimes you have to accept that you are not winning, and we just try to do the best that we can.”
Mercedes Boss Toto Wolff on the Incident
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff stated he was unsure if the incident was due to driver error or a technical issue with the car. “These mistakes happen,” he commented. “The rears locked on his car. I`m not sure if it was his fault or the system. I didn`t see any data yet, but it happens.”
“It`s unfortunate for Max and Red Bull that Kimi hit him. That`s racing,” Wolff added. He described Antonelli`s reaction: “Kimi came into the garage quickly and I said `well that wasn`t great` which he obviously knew. He said the tyres just locked.”
Wolff concluded, “There`s margin for error in our business. It`s a shame we took another car out with us, but that can happen to the great ones, the inexperienced ones, the experienced ones.”
Marcus Prine