ANTONELLI HANDED THREE-PLACE GRID PENALTY AFTER HUNGARIAN GP QUALIFYING
Kimi Antonelli has received a three-place grid penalty for the 2026 Formula 1 Hungarian Grand Prix after the stewards ruled that he failed to slow sufficiently under yellow flags during qualifying at the Hungaroring. The Mercedes driver had originally qualified fourth but will now start seventh on Sunday’s grid.
The yellow flags were shown after Fernando Alonso spun and stopped at Turn 12 during the final part of qualifying. According to the FIA Sporting Regulations, drivers must immediately reduce speed when passing through a yellow flag zone and be prepared to change direction or stop if necessary. The rule is intended to protect marshals and drivers dealing with an incident on track.
The stewards reviewed onboard footage, telemetry, timing data and GPS information before reaching their decision. They concluded that Antonelli did lift off the throttle, but not while he was in the mini-sector where the yellow flag was being displayed. Instead, the Mercedes driver slowed later, on the start-finish straight, after he had already passed the affected section.
Telemetry showed that Antonelli actually drove through the yellow flag mini-sector around 3 km/h faster than he had on his previous qualifying lap. Although he lost nearly one tenth of a second after lifting off later in the lap, the stewards determined that this did not satisfy the requirements of the regulations because the speed reduction did not happen inside the yellow flag zone.
During the hearing, Mercedes explained that Antonelli reacted once he became aware of the yellow flags. However, the FIA stated that the regulations require a clear and immediate reduction in speed within the flagged sector itself. As a result, the stewards applied the standard three-place grid penalty.
The penalty changes the starting order near the front of the grid. Antonelli drops from fourth to seventh, promoting other drivers behind him by one position. It is an important setback for the young Italian, who had produced another strong qualifying performance during his rookie Formula 1 season and was aiming to fight for a podium at the Hungaroring.
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