Why Kimi Antonelli escaped Austria penalty after post-race Barcelona sanction

Kimi Antonelli was penalised after the Barcelona Grand Prix, but a key detail means it won’t affect his Austrian GP weekend.

Antonelli received a five-second time penalty after the race for a fourth track limit infringement.

Kimi Antonelli avoids Austria grid penalty after Barcelona sanction

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Fighting for a top result, potentially a sixth successive Grand Prix win, Antonelli was shown the black-and-white flag for exceeding track limits three times before the midway point of the 66-lap race.

But McLaren, chasing Antonelli, believed it was more than three times and race engineer Will Joseph told Lando Norris that McLaren had reported Antonelli to Race Control.

A late-race DNF on Lap 61 put an end to their tussle as Antonelli, having just taken second place off George Russell, pulled up on the side of the track and Norris joined Lewis Hamilton and George Russell in an all-British podium.

The stewards, though, still looked at the matter.

They ruled that Antonelli had in fact breached track limits four times, meaning he received a five-second time penalty.

“The stewards reviewed video evidence,” the verdict said.

“The car left the track four times during the race without justifiable reason.

“The stewards acknowledge that the driver did not receive a black/white flag after his third infringement but rather after his fourth infringement, as one earlier infringement was only detected later in the race.

“However, based on the current regulations and driving standards guidelines, this does not exempt the driver from complying with the regulations.”

But while Antonelli did not serve his penalty, which in the event of a retirement can become a grid drop at the next race, it won’t translate to a grid penalty at the Austrian Grand Prix.

That’s because having retired on Lap 61 of the 66-lap race, he was classified in the race result in 16th place having completed 90 per cent of the Grand Prix.

The five seconds were therefore added to his time.

As 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve put it before the race, Antonelli is riding the “luck of champions”.

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“Kimi has what we call the luck of champions going on with him,” he told Sky Sports.

“If you remember the Schumacher days, he would go off almost at every race, but somehow in the only area where it was okay to go off, and it would be okay.

“That’s what’s called the luck of champions – things turn out to be good.

“That’s happened to Kimi a lot this year. Miami, cut the first chicane, was supposed to come back behind Lewis, but Verstappen spins, so he keeps his spot.

“So there’s always been moments like this, and it’s working, and he’s got that momentum going.

“And when you have the belief, you keep on winning.”

Antonelli continues to lead the Drivers’ Championship with 156 points to Lewis Hamilton’s 115. Russell is a further nine off the pace.

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