Explained: Why Kimi Antonelli was given a 3-place grid penalty and 2 F1 penalty points for the Max Verstappen clash

Kimi Antonelli has been handed a three-place grid penalty and two penalty points for his crash against Max Verstappen at the Austrian GP. Notifying this, the FIA released a statement, holding the Mercedes driver fully accountable for the wreck.

Antonelli locked up in Turn 1 of the race and directly hit Verstappen's rear tire, taking him and the Red Bull driver out of the race. The Stewards immediately took cognizance of the situation and penalized the Silver Arrows man after the conclusion of the race.

Sharing the reason, here's what the FIA stated:

"The driver of Car 12 locked up the rear brakes into Turn 3 and collided with Car 1. In the hearing the driver admitted that he made a mistake as he locked up the rear wheels while using his regular braking point, but also pointed out that he needed to avoid a collision with Car 30 in front of him and released the brakes for a short period of time to do so."

"Taking evasive action led to the car having less grip on the dirty inside line and therefore he was not able to decelerate the car in a way to avoid the collision with Car 1. The Stewards determine that, although the incident happened in Lap 1, no other cars influenced the incident and the driver of Car 12 is fully at fault," the statement further added.

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As a result of the crash, Verstappen, a championship contender for the F1 title this season, suffered a huge blow as he ended his race with no points. On the other hand, Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri picked up another 1-2, that too at Red Bull Racing's home track, the Red Bull Ring.

Kimi Antonelli let his feelings known after colliding with Max Verstappen

Following the conclusion of the Austrian GP, Kimi Antonelli apologized to both Mercedes and Max Verstappen. Speaking about the ordeal, here's what the Silver Arrows driver told Sky Sports:

Max Verstappen and Andrea Kimi Antonelli in the run off area following contact during the F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Source: Getty

"First of all, I feel very sorry to the team and Max, he was a passenger. I immediately apologized towards him after the crash, yeah it was a mistake, unfortunate. When I braked, I locked the rear, and lost the car."

After 11 races, Oscar Piastri is leading the championship with 216 points, followed by Lando Norris with 201 points. Max Verstappen is holding onto P3 with 155 points.

About the author

Sabyasachi Biswas is a passionate motorsport journalist for Sportskeeda, with a Master's degree in Mass Communication and Journalism. He has over eight years of experience in the field and has over 10000 published articles on the internet.

As a dedicated follower of motorsport, Sabyasachi watches events closely, ensuring his reports are thorough and supported by reputable sources. He is inspired by Max Verstappen’s fearless attitude and dreams of attending the Indian GP if it returns to the calendar. An ardent F1 fan over the years, he enjoyed watching Felipe Massa and Sebastian Vettel and is now following Verstappen's dominant journey on the track.

Apart from F1, he is a big-time NASCAR and football (also soccer) fan. Sabyasachi supports Kyle Larson of Hendrick Motorsports and Spanish club, Real Madrid.

He was a sub-junior level footballer and won inter-district quizzes and debate competitions back in school. A travel freak by nature, Sabyasachi likes to try different cuisines and learn about new cultures. When away from his keyboard, he enjoys soccer, geopolitics, and playing with Khushi & Ubbu - his adorable beagles.

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Edited by Tushar Bahl