Kimi Antonelli expressed deep regret, saying he was `super sorry`, for his role in eliminating Max Verstappen from the Austrian Grand Prix. A collision between the two drivers on the first lap resulted in the Mercedes driver receiving a grid penalty for the upcoming race at Silverstone.
The incident occurred at Turn 3 when Antonelli locked his tires and collided with Verstappen`s Red Bull. The resulting damage forced both cars to retire from the race immediately.
As the 18-year-old Mercedes driver was already out of the race in Spielberg, the penalty for causing the collision will be applied at the next event. The race stewards deemed a three-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix, along with two penalty points, to be the appropriate punishment.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Antonelli explained, “I didn`t necessarily brake too late, but I braked hard because I was following other cars closely. At that moment, the rear wheels locked up, and I simply couldn`t stop the car.”
He continued, “After locking the rear, I lost control and then had to avoid (Liam) Lawson. By then, it was too late as I was approaching the corner too quickly. I started locking the front tires, and instead of slowing down, the car actually seemed to gain speed. The collision became unavoidable.”
Antonelli added, “I feel incredibly sorry for my team and, of course, for Max, who was just an innocent party in the incident.”
Antonelli made these comments before the stewards concluded their investigation, but he appeared resigned to the possibility of a penalty, stating his focus was already on performing well at Silverstone.
He further stated, “Naturally, this is a significant mistake. We now need to move past it and concentrate on Silverstone.”
“We`ll see whether a penalty is confirmed,” he said, “but the key is to recover and perform as I did in Canada.”
Verstappen Reflects on an `Unlucky` Weekend
Verstappen`s difficult weekend had already begun on Saturday during qualifying, where his final quick lap attempt was ruined by Pierre Gasly`s spin, forcing him to start the race from seventh position.
Starting from the middle of the pack proved costly, as he became an unavoidable casualty of Antonelli`s mistake.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Verstappen commented, “It`s just bad luck, similar to what happened in qualifying yesterday.”
He added, “Overall, our pace wasn`t particularly strong this weekend, so there`s much for us to learn to hopefully improve next weekend. Obviously, today`s outcome isn`t ideal.”
Describing his immediate post-crash conversation with Antonelli, Verstappen said, “I simply asked what occurred, as he was the only other car near me with a damaged wheel. So, I was pretty sure he had hit me.”
“After reviewing the footage later, you see these things happen,” Verstappen continued. “Every driver makes mistakes like this at some point in their career. Kimi is a great talent, and he`ll learn from it. It`s completely understandable.”
The crash significantly hampered Verstappen`s already slim prospects of securing a fifth consecutive world championship title. His points gap to championship leader Oscar Piastri widened to 61 points after Piastri finished second behind his McLaren teammate Lando Norris.
When asked if Sunday`s result had ended his title aspirations, Verstappen responded, “Hopefully this means people won`t talk about it too much anymore.”
He affirmed, “We always strive to do our best. My mindset remains the same. We`ve achieved many victories in the past.”
“Sometimes you have to accept that you aren`t winning,” he concluded, “and we simply focus on doing the best we can.”
Wolff: `These Mistakes Happen`
Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff commented that at the time he was unsure if the incident was a result of driver error or a car issue.
He stated, “Mistakes like these occur. The rear wheels locked up on his car. I`m currently unsure if it was his error or a system malfunction. I haven`t reviewed the data yet, but these things happen.”
“It`s unfortunate for Max and Red Bull that Kimi made contact with him,” Wolff remarked. “That`s just part of racing.”
“Kimi returned to the garage promptly,” Wolff continued, “and I told him, `Well, that wasn`t good,` which he clearly understood. He explained that the tires simply locked up.”
“There`s a margin for error in our sport,” Wolff concluded. “It`s regrettable that we eliminated another car along with ours, but this can happen to anyone – the highly skilled, the newcomers, and the veterans.”
