Antonelli Escapes Penalty After Singapore Track Limits Review

Kimi Antonelli avoided a five-second penalty at the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix after FIA stewards removed one of his four track limits violations, allowing the Mercedes driver to keep his third-place finish after a race affected by brake issues.

According to Autosport and The Race, Antonelli had four deleted laps at Turns 2, 19 and 7, but the final incident was accepted as a justifiable reason because he lost control while dealing with braking problems and gained no advantage.

The FIA sporting regulations require drivers to remain on track unless they have a valid reason for leaving it. Mercedes challenged the Turn 7 incident, leading to the review that removed the violation.

Antonelli explained the incident after the race by describing the brake problem during the virtual safety car restart.

"On the restart of the VSC, when I went to brake, nothing happened. I had really poor stopping, brake power and I almost went into the wall. It was just very tricky out there, and also the pedal was very long.

But it was also kind of expected. I'd run three-quarters of the race behind a car in dirty air and obviously being so hot. Plus, we also had the sensor issue on the brakes, so we didn't even have the data about the brakes.

We didn't know exactly what temperature they were running, so it was all about feeling. But they were hot because I could even smell it, so it was not very pleasant," said Kimi Antonelli.

The 20-year-old driver was warned several times during the race by Mercedes race engineer Peter Bonington as he approached the limit of possible sanctions. He remained third, finishing 15.9 seconds ahead of Lando Norris.

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff acknowledged the risk created by Antonelli's repeated track limits issues but praised the driver's management of a difficult car.

"That stresses us. Half the race we already have three strikes, but it also shows that he's pushing the limits a lot," said Toto Wolff, Mercedes team principal.

Wolff also joked about a possible solution for Antonelli's difficulty judging the track edge.

"I have a good strategy, I'm going to put a pillow from the hotel under his butt, so he can actually see the road. Because I think he can't see it," said Toto Wolff.

Despite the track limits concerns, Wolff said Antonelli showed maturity while adapting to a less dominant Mercedes package. The podium result kept Antonelli close to securing his first Formula 1 drivers' title at the upcoming United States Grand Prix.