Rookie Racer Slapped with Grid Penalty at British Grand Prix
In a shocking turn of events, Kimi Antonelli has been hit with a major setback ahead of the British Grand Prix. The young driver has been handed a three-place grid penalty for his involvement in a collision with Max Verstappen during the recent race in Austria.
Antonelli’s streak of bad luck continues, with this incident marking his fourth non-scoring race out of the last five. Despite a remarkable podium finish in Canada, the rookie’s performance has been marred by this latest controversy.
The collision occurred in the braking zone of Turn 3 when Antonelli lost control of his Mercedes challenger and made contact with Verstappen. As a result, the stewards decided to impose a penalty on Antonelli, citing him as the sole party at fault for the incident.
Explaining their verdict, the stewards stated, “The driver of Car 12 locked up the rear brakes into Turn 3 and collided with Car 1. The driver admitted that he made a mistake but pointed out the need to avoid a collision with another car in front of him, which led to the evasive action and ultimately the collision with Car 1.”
Despite the incident occurring on the first lap, the stewards opted not to apply a more lenient approach, deeming Antonelli fully responsible for the collision. Consequently, a three-place grid penalty has been imposed on the rookie driver for the upcoming race at Silverstone.
As Antonelli faces the consequences of his actions, the motorsport world eagerly anticipates how he will bounce back from this setback and if he can turn the tides in his favor at the British Grand Prix.