Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli hit with grid penalty after first-lap collision with Max Verstappen

Kimi Antonelli will face a three-place grid penalty at the upcoming British Grand Prix following a dramatic first-lap collision that ended Max Verstappen’s race prematurely during Red Bull’s home event. The incident unfolded at Turn 3, where Antonelli, driving for Mercedes, locked up under braking and collided with Verstappen’s car, rendering the Dutchman helpless.

Visibly frustrated in the immediate aftermath, Verstappen told his engineer Simon Rennie over the radio that he had been “hit like crazy,” branding the offenders as “f***ing idiots.” At the time, Verstappen was unaware that it was the teenage Mercedes rookie who had made contact.

Max Verstappen accepts apology, moves on

Despite the initial fury, Verstappen was quick to accept Antonelli’s apology and expressed understanding toward the young driver’s error.

Every driver has made a mistake like that. No-one does that on purpose, said Verstappen, reflecting on the crash.

Antonelli’s car also sustained terminal damage, forcing him to retire on the spot. As a result, stewards could not issue an in-race penalty and opted for a grid drop for the following race at Silverstone.

FIA Stewards explain the decision

The FIA released a detailed explanation of the penalty, stating:

The driver of car 12 [Antonelli] locked up the rear brakes into turn three and collided with car 1 [Verstappen]... Taking evasive action led to the car having less grip on the dirty inside line and therefore he was not able to decelerate... the driver of car 12 is fully at fault.

While noting the crash was not an aggressive overtake attempt, the stewards emphasized that the usual leniency applied to lap-one incidents was not suitable in this case.

Kimi Antonelli: “A Big Mistake”

Antonelli accepted responsibility and showed clear remorse for the crash.

I didn’t brake too late, but I braked hard and locked the rears... I had to avoid [Liam] Lawson but it was too late. The crash was inevitable, he admitted. I’m super sorry to the team and of course to Max. It’s a big mistake.

Mixed fortunes for Mercedes and Red Bull

George Russell salvaged fifth place for Mercedes, securing some consolation points. However, Red Bull suffered a blow, with Yuki Tsunoda finishing 16th and last among classified drivers, two laps behind race winner Lando Norris.