What happened
At the start of Q3 Andrea Kimi Antonelli took to the track with both blowers/fans still attached to the sidepod inlets.
Read more Verstappen relief: “X-ray done, I have nothing broken, but I’m not having fun”
The Mercedes driver lost one immediately at Turn 1 and the other instead remained on the racing line after Turn 2, being demolished by Lando Norris.
Antonelli and Mercedes have been summoned by the Stewards at 08:00 Italian time (18:00 local time) for leaving the pits with the car in an unsafe condition.
Lando 🆚 Cooling Fan 😬#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/ojSK8fBTPV
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2026
We will see what the Stewards’ decision will be and if there will be consequences for Antonelli’s position on the starting grid.
Read more Vasseur: “Mercedes today on another planet, but we could have been third”
🔴 RED FLAG 🔴
Lando Norris collides with a cooling device on the track, which seemingly fell from Kimi Antonelli’s Mercedes
There’s debris to be cleared up at Turn 2#F1 #AusGP pic.twitter.com/hrUZ9jGS8Y
— Formula 1 (@F1) March 7, 2026
After the accident in FP3, the Italian driver was put in a position to participate in Qualifying, also thanks to the red flag forced by the k.o. of Max Verstappen, and he put his W17 on the front row alongside the sister car driven by George Russell.
Read more The first Q3 is a cold shower for Leclerc: “8 tenths is a significant gap, I am disappointed”
