Kimi Antonelli's 3-word reaction to Max Verstappen crashing into him in the pitlane during the F1 Miami GP sprint

Kimi Antonelli reacted sarcastically after his race engineer, Pete Bonnington, gave him the news of Max Verstappen receiving a 10-second time penalty for an unsafe release in the pit lane during the Miami Grand Prix Sprint. The Italian was also reacting to further news that Oscar Piastri was not under any further investigation after the pair tangled on lap 1 of the sprint race.

Antonelli's Saturday in Miami went from euphoria to disaster after the rookie lost three places after tangling with Piastri on the first lap of the sprint race, after having started on pole. To add insult to injury, the Red Bull pit box released Max Verstappen into the path of the 18-year-old during the pit stops, which meant he could not even come into his pit box.

During the final stages of the Sprint, Antonelli was informed by his race engineer that Max Verstappen had a 10-second time penalty for the unsafe release. Antonelli then asked for an update on Piastri and received the news that he was not under investigation. He reacted by saying:

"Good to know."

Verstappen lost out on a potential P3 due to the pitlane incident and the subsequent penalty, as he lost out on all world championship points that he was set to take home during the sprint. Oscar Piastri ended up losing out as well when Fernando Alonso's crash with Liam Lawson caused the late-race safety car, and his teammate Lando Norris ended up the winner of the sprint. Verstappen lost out.

Toto Wolff told Kimi Antonelli that the Sprint was 'irrelevant' after an unfortunate incident

Kimi Antonelli at the Grand Prix of Miami - Practice & Sprint Qualifying - Source: Getty

Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff told Kimi Antonelli that the Miami Sprint race result was "irrelevant" as a way to console his driver after an unfortunate outing for him. The rookie was still running in P4 before the pitlane incident with Verstappen, even after having lost out on the race lead in the first lap.

After sensing the tone of disappointment in his driver's voice, Wolff told his driver not to stress about the sprint result. His race engineer, Peter Bonnington, also echoed the same sentiments.

"Kimi, it's a short race. It's irrelevant" said Wolff.

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Kimi Antonelli ended the race in P11 and out of the points as a result of his incident, and essentially had to pit twice. The Mercedes man just had the best qualifying result of his F1 career on Friday, as he qualified in pole for the dash on Saturday.

While Antonelli had a torrid start to his Saturday, his qualifying form on Friday shall still be a source of positivity for the Italian as the teams head into the qualifying for the main race after the sprint on Saturday.

About the author

Samyak Sharma is a Motorsports journalist at Sportskeeda, covering Formula One and IndyCar. A graduate in Mass Media and Journalism, he aims to transform his lifelong passion for playing and following sports into a thriving career in sports journalism. He believes that sports naturally deliver the most compelling stories, needing no script to captivate the world.

Samyak is dedicated to providing detailed and insightful coverage, keeping an eye on all developments on and off the track to ensure timely and accurate reporting. He closely follows Max Verstappen, inspired by the Dutchman's ability to balance precision and aggression on the track.

Samyak envisions the continued growth of motorsports globally and hopes to see Formula One return to the V8 engines while still continuing to be sustainable. As for IndyCar, he envisions greater international exposure to rival the global reach of F1.

Outside the world of motorsports, Samyak immerses himself in his love for football and cricket, passionately cheering for his favorite team, Manchester United. He also enjoys catching the occasional tennis match, broadening his appreciation for sports.

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Edited by Rupesh