Kimi Antonelli has apologised to Max Verstappen after colliding with the Red Bull driver during the Austrian Grand Prix on Sunday, Afrosport reports.
The Italian rookie locked up his tyres as he approached Turn 3 on the opening lap and crashed into Verstappen, which resulted in damage to the cars of both drivers and forced them to retire from the race.
Antonelli was subsequently handed a three-place grid penalty for the British Grand Prix as punishment, with two penalty points on his racing license.
The 18-year-old reacting to the incident said: “I didn’t necessarily brake too late, it’s just that when I braked, 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.
“I locked the rear and then lost the car and then had to avoid [Liam] Lawson. Then it was too late because I was arriving just too quick. I started to lock the front, and instead of decelerating, I was accelerating. The car was just taking speed, and the crash was inevitable.
“Just feel super sorry to the team, and to Max of course, because obviously he was just a passenger.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen, making his assessment of the incident, said: “I just asked what happened, because he was the only car that was there with me with his wheel hanging off, so I was like, maybe, well, I’m pretty sure that he hit me.
“Then of course, I saw the footage once I came back, and it happens. Every driver has made a mistake like that. Everyone has made a mistake like that in their careers, and also Kimi is a very big talent, so he learns from that, and that’s all fine.”
Turn 3 strikes again š³#F1 #AustrianGP pic.twitter.com/JNey5vTA6F
ā Formula 1 (@F1) June 29, 2025
The incident brought to an end Verstappenās 31-race points-scoring streak stretching back to the 2024 Japanese Grand Prix. It was also his first DNF since the 2023 Australian Grand Prix.
It has dealt a blow to his hopes of winning a record-fifth successive world championship title as he is now 61 points behind leader Oscar Piastri in the driversā standings.
