Second place on the grid confirmed
Andrea Kimi Antonelli was hoping for a fine for the team and nothing more and his wish was granted: his front row in tomorrow’s Australian GP is safe. The Mercedes Italian did not receive any ‘personal’ penalty for driving with a car in unsafe conditions during the start of Q3, when he went out on track with the blowers still attached to both sidepod inlets, losing them later on track and also causing a danger for Lando Norris’s car, who hit one full on, disintegrating it into a thousand pieces.
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Mercedes fined
The stewards, as has happened in the past in similar situations, did not hold the driver responsible for this irregularity and punished the Brackley team with a fine – 7500 Euro. The all-silver front row is therefore confirmed, with George Russell in pole position and the Italian by his side. The impression is that – given the gap that emerged today in qualifying – it will be very difficult for anyone else to join the direct battle between the two Mercedes in tomorrow’s race.
