F1 2025: Apologetic Antonelli given Silverstone grid drop for Verstappen incident in Austria

Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli was given a three-place grid drop for the British Grand Prix after dumping Formula One champion Max Verstappen out of Red Bull’s home race in Austria on Sunday.

The 18-year-old Italian rookie lost control and collided with the four-time champion on the opening lap, after narrowly missing Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, with neither able to continue.

It was Verstappen’s first retirement of the season and left him still third in the championship but now 61 points adrift of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri after 11 of 24 rounds. Piastri finished second in a McLaren one-two with race winner Lando Norris.

“I braked hard because I was behind other cars, and in that moment I locked the rears. Then I just couldn’t stop the car,” said Antonelli, who had taken his first career F1 podium in the previous round in Canada.

“The car was just taking speed and the crash was inevitable. I just feel super sorry to the team, and to Max of course, because obviously he was just a passenger.”

Stewards ruled that Antonelli was fully at fault and also gave him two penalty points. At a circuit where he has won a record five times, Verstappen had started seventh on the grid, with Antonelli lining up ninth.

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“I’m out, I got hit like crazy,” Verstappen said over the team radio, with an additional expletive. “It’s just unlucky, like yesterday in qualifying,” he told Sky Sports television later.

“But overall, we didn’t really have that great pace anyway this weekend, so a lot of learning for us on how we can hopefully do better next weekend. My mentality doesn’t change. We’ve won a lot in the past. Sometimes you have to accept that you are not winning, and we just try to do the best that we can.”

The retirement ended a run of 31 grands prix in the points for the Dutch driver, whose fans throng in their thousands to the Red Bull Ring but this time never got to see him race.