Kimi Antonelli finished third at the Austrian Grand Prix after a wheel‑wide start that cost him front‑row positions.
Starting from fourth on the grid, Antonelli’s car carried too much speed into Turn 1, forcing the 19‑year‑old onto the escape road as the sausage kerb lifted him. A similar misstep occurred at Turn 3, where the driver again ran wide.
On lap 2, he attempted to overtake Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc for third at Turn 1, yet he left the exit too wide after gaining the corner. The move forced him back, allowing Max Verstappen to enter the frame and lob the German off the front three, dropping Antonelli to fifth at the end of the first lap.
Despite those early setbacks, Antonelli clawed back to the podium, finishing behind team‑mate George Russell and Verstappen. He admitted, “It was a weekend where I started very strong and I think because of that I kind of lowered the intensity a bit too much. Coming to qualifying I just felt a bit tense and wasn’t driving that well.”
In Friday’s practice sessions, the young Mercedes hopeful topped both runs and held provisional pole. He aborted the final lap out of concern that Verstappen’s crash had triggered double‑wave yellow flags, but the red‑flag instruction was actually single. George Russell capitalised and seized pole, leaving Antonelli just off the front row.
Mercedes’ team boss Toto Wolff critiqued the start, noting “The first few corners, this is where the race got lost. Full‑attack mode, missing braking in Turn 1, Turn 3, Turn 4. But, as I said, this is exactly what I expect from him.” Wolff also warned that “That yellow will never happen again in his life again,” emphasizing the impact of misread penalties.
Antonelli’s race report reveals a developmental gap: “The second stint was better, the third was really strong, the pace was there, but of course fell a bit short,” he reflected. His comments suggest that once he tightens his braking strategy and preserves positions in the opening moments, he could match his team’s dominant pace.
After the Austrian GP, Antonelli leads the points table by 40 points over George Russell and now faces a clearer call to sharpen racecraft before the season’s later challenges.”
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