The championship leader will lose three positions on the starting grid after failing to slow down enough in a yellow flag zone during Q3.
Kimi Antonelli, the Formula 1 championship leader, has received a three place grid penalty for the Hungarian Grand Prix for not slowing down enough in a yellow flag zone during Saturday's qualifying. The Italian had qualified fourth, but the penalty will drop him to seventh position for Sunday's race, a hard blow to his aspirations of extending his championship lead.
The penalty came after the stewards investigated an incident in Q3 when Max Verstappen (Red Bull) spun and caused yellow flags. Antonelli was found guilty of not slowing down enough, infringing Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code and B1.8.4a of the FIA Sporting Regulations.
The stewards explained in their document that Kimi Antonelli had lifted off the throttle, but that the speed reduction was insufficient: "The driver of car 12 stated that upon seeing the yellow flag, he lifted off the throttle earlier than on his previous lap, this was verified by telemetry, however the speed reduction occurred over a very short period and in fact the car's speed when passing the incident site was slightly higher than on the previous lap" the stewards detailed.
Data analysis showed that the speed in the mini sector was only 0.03 seconds slower than his best time, and although he lifted 16 meters earlier, his speed when passing the accident site was 3 km/h faster: "FIA representatives noted that the speed reduction in the mini sector was less than 1%" the stewards added.
The stewards considered that this incident was different from others that had not resulted in penalties: "Unlike those cases, there was no significant speed difference in the mini sector compared to the driver's fastest time under similar circumstances" they explained. The recommended penalty for this infringement is five positions, but the stewards applied a lesser sanction because the driver did make a speed reduction, albeit insufficient.
"In mitigation of the penalty, we considered that the driver did make a speed reduction, although, in our determination, it was insufficient and not sustained. Additionally, the driver had limited time and distance to react, therefore, a lesser penalty is applied" the stewards concluded.
In a separate incident, Antonelli received a warning for driving unnecessarily slowly on an in lap. The three place penalty is a hard blow for the Italian, who leads the championship with a 50 point advantage over George Russell and 45 over Lewis Hamilton.
The penalty could have a significant impact on Sunday's race, as starting from seventh position complicates his chances of victory on a circuit where overtaking is difficult. Antonelli will have to fight back if he wants to score important points and maintain his championship lead before the summer break.
Kimi Antonelli will face the race from seventh position, a major challenge on a circuit where overtaking is complicated. The championship leader will have to demonstrate his comeback ability if he wants to maintain his lead before the summer break. The penalty adds excitement to a title fight that intensifies race after race.
