Hungarian Grand Prix: Antonelli receives grid pena...

By Rohan Gupta — 25 July 2026 — 3 min read

Kimi Antonelli has been issued a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming Hungarian Grand Prix following a rule violation during Saturday’s Qualifying session at the Hungaroring. The penalty comes after an investigation found that Antonelli failed to slow sufficiently for yellow flags, which were deployed when Red Bull’s Max Verstappen spun in Q3.

The stewards determined that Antonelli’s actions constituted a breach of Appendix H, Article 2.5.5 b) of the International Sporting Code and B1.8.4a of the FIA F1 Regulations. This decision means that Antonelli, who had initially qualified fourth fastest, will now start Sunday’s race from P7 on the grid.

The penalty for Antonelli adds to a challenging situation for the driver, who is currently leading the Drivers’ Championship standings. He had provisionally moved up a spot on the grid after Lewis Hamilton also received a three-place penalty for impeding McLaren rival Oscar Piastri at the conclusion of Q3.

Stewards’ Decision Details

The stewards’ document provided a detailed explanation for their decision. It noted that Antonelli, the driver of Car 12, stated he had lifted off the throttle earlier than his previous push lap upon seeing the yellow flag and light panel. This claim was supported by telemetry data.

However, the investigation revealed that the reduction in speed was brief. The car’s speed when passing the scene of Verstappen’s incident was slightly higher than during Antonelli’s previous push lap. The mini sector time was only 0.03 seconds slower than his best time for that mini sector. While he was 14 km/h slower entering the yellow flag sector due to lifting 16 metres earlier, he was 3 km/h faster when passing the incident site because he applied the brakes less entering the corner.

FIA representatives observed that the speed reduction in the mini sector was less than 1%. The stewards differentiated this incident from others where no further action was taken, noting that in this case, there was no significant speed delta through the mini sector compared to the driver’s previous fastest time under similar circumstances.

The recommended penalty for this type of offence, according to penalty guidelines, is a drop of five grid positions. However, the stewards considered mitigating factors. They acknowledged that Antonelli did make a reduction in speed, though they deemed it insufficient and unsustained. Additionally, the driver had limited time and distance to react to the situation, which led to a lower penalty being applied.

In a separate incident during Qualifying, Antonelli also received a warning from the stewards for driving unnecessarily slowly on an in-lap.

Impact on the Starting Grid

The penalties issued to both Antonelli and Hamilton have significantly altered the starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Lando Norris of McLaren will now start from pole position, followed by Charles Leclerc of Ferrari in second.

Oscar Piastri, also from McLaren, will begin the race in third, with Max Verstappen in fourth. Lewis Hamilton will start from fifth position, and George Russell of Mercedes will be in sixth. Kimi Antonelli will line up in seventh place.

F1 2026 Hungarian GP starting grid after Hamilton, Antonelli penalties Credit: the-race.com

The revised starting grid for the Hungarian Grand Prix is as follows:

1 Lando Norris (McLaren)
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren)
4 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
5 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
6 George Russell (Mercedes)
7 Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
8 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)
9 Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls)
10 Nico Hulkenberg (Audi)
11 Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)
12 Pierre Gasly (Alpine)
13 Franco Colapinto (Alpine)
14 Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi)
15 Esteban Ocon (Haas)
16 Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin)
17 Ollie Bearman (Haas)
18 Carlos Sainz (Williams)
19 Alex Albon (Williams)
20 Lance Stroll (Aston Martin)
21 Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac)
22 Sergio Perez (Cadillac)

The penalties will undoubtedly influence the race dynamics as drivers aim to extend or gain ground in the championship standings. The Hungarian Grand Prix is scheduled for Sunday.

Source: formula1.com