Andrea Kimi Antonelli received a three-place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix following a yellow flag infringement during Saturday’s qualifying session. The Mercedes driver had initially secured fourth position on the grid at the Hungaroring. This decision by the stewards significantly alters the starting order for today’s race.
The incident occurred in the closing stages of Q3 when Max Verstappen spun his Red Bull at the final corner. Yellow flags were deployed in the sector where Verstappen’s car came to a halt. Antonelli was on a decisive final flying lap when he encountered the incident.
Stewards investigated Antonelli for failing to slow sufficiently under these yellow flags. Telemetry confirmed that Antonelli lifted off the throttle earlier than on his previous push lap. He stated he tried his best to lift upon seeing the yellow flag and light panel.
However, the stewards found the reduction in speed was both insufficient and unsustained. Antonelli’s speed when passing the scene of Verstappen’s incident was slightly higher than on his previous push lap. The FIA noted a speed reduction of less than one percent in the mini-sector.
The stewards’ verdict cited a breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code and B1.8.4a of the FIA F1 Regulations. While a five-place grid drop is the recommended penalty, a three-place penalty was applied due to Antonelli’s limited time to react.
This penalty demotes Antonelli from his original fourth place to seventh on the grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The grid was further reshuffled by a separate three-place penalty for Lewis Hamilton, who impeded Oscar Piastri. Hamilton drops from second to fifth.
Antonelli expressed frustration, stating his final lap was strong before the yellow flags compromised it. He estimated losing just under two tenths of a second by lifting. He believed Mercedes had the pace to challenge for pole position.
Mercedes’ qualifying performance marked the first time this season neither Antonelli nor George Russell secured pole position. Russell qualified seventh, 0.553 seconds off pole, and reported a water leak issue. Mercedes had anticipated a challenging weekend at the Hungaroring.
Max Verstappen, whose spin caused the yellow flags, qualified sixth. He reported significant issues with his Red Bull, stating the car was ‘degrading’ and becoming ‘undriveable’ throughout qualifying. Verstappen described the rear of the car as ‘non-existent’ in the final corner.
The Hungaroring, celebrating its 40th anniversary this year, is known for being an energy-rich circuit that stresses rear tyres. Overtaking is notoriously difficult, making Antonelli’s recovery from seventh a significant challenge in today’s race.
