Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli is currently facing two separate FIA stewards’ investigations following qualifying for the Hungarian Grand Prix. The incidents occurred during Saturday’s session at the Hungaroring, where Antonelli qualified fourth.
The first investigation pertains to an alleged failure to slow for yellow flags. This incident took place in the final minute of Q3 when Max Verstappen’s Red Bull spun at the final corner, bringing out yellow flags.
Antonelli reportedly improved his final sector time despite the yellow flags, prompting the stewards to investigate whether he lifted sufficiently to respect the local yellows.
A second investigation involves an alleged failure to follow the race director’s instructions by driving unnecessarily slowly during qualifying. Both Antonelli and a Mercedes team representative were summoned to separate hearings with the stewards.
The hearing for the yellow flag infringement was scheduled for 18:15 local time in Budapest, with the slow driving incident hearing set for 18:25 local time.
Championship leader Antonelli enters the Hungarian Grand Prix holding a 45-point lead over Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton. Antonelli secured his sixth victory of the 2026 season at the recent Belgian Grand Prix.
Lewis Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, is also under investigation for allegedly impeding McLaren driver Oscar Piastri during the final runs of Q3. Hamilton qualified second, just 0.012 seconds behind polesitter Lando Norris.
Hamilton stated he received late notification from his team regarding Piastri’s approach. He commented on the incident in the post-qualifying press conference.
‘I was told literally when he was at the apex behind me, so I had no idea he was coming. Everyone came out behind me, I was the first out, so I thought everyone had finished their lap.’
Hamilton further added, ‘I think Charles was the car that was behind me when I left the pit lane as far as I was aware. Crazy because it’d been [a] clean [session] and obviously it wasn’t intentional.’
Piastri, who qualified fifth, encountered a slow-moving Hamilton at Turn 1 at the start of his final Q3 lap, forcing him to abort.
Penalties for such infringements can range from grid drops to reprimands or time penalties, potentially impacting Antonelli’s and Hamilton’s starting positions for Sunday’s race.
Mercedes failed to secure pole position for the first time in the 2026 season, with Lando Norris taking pole for McLaren. George Russell, Antonelli’s teammate, qualified seventh and stopped on track after his final lap due to an undiagnosed issue.
