Mercedes was summoned to the stewards after sending the car of Kimi Antonelli out on track in an “unsafe condition” during qualifying for the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix.
The Mercedes driver caused an early red flag in Q3 after cooling fans were left on his W17, with one flying away in the Turn 1 braking zone and the other coming off approaching Turn 3.
It was the second fan that caused the biggest problem because it bounced back onto the track and reigning world champion Lando Norris subsequently ran over it and destroyed the fan.
The McLaren driver therefore asked his team to check damage on his front left, but all seemed okay and the session resumed with 10 minutes remaining at Albert Park.
A stewards report read: “Alleged breach of Article B1.6.2 b) i) of the FIA F1 regulations: releasing an F1 car from a garage in an unsafe condition.”
It is unsure what the precise punishment for the Silver Arrows may be, but it is likely to be a financial one, thus keeping its dominant 1-2 at the season opener with George Russell leading Antonelli.
George Russell, Mercedes, Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes, Isack Hadjar, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Getty Images
Russell claimed pole by 0.293s with his teenage team-mate 0.492s ahead of the next fastest car, which was the Red Bull of Isack Hadjar – who is joined on the second row by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc.
This represented a remarkable turnaround for Antonelli because his big crash at Turn 1 in final practice left him in doubt for qualifying, but Max Verstappen’s crash at the same chicane aided the repair effort of Mercedes.
That’s because the four-time world champion’s incident caused a red flag early in Q1, giving time for Antonelli to go out in his repaired car and claim his second front row start for a grand prix – second in Brazil last year being the other.
“It’s been a very, very stressful day,” said the F1 sophomore. “Unfortunately in FP3 I went into the wall, but the guys, the mechanics, today were the heroes to put the car back on track.
“We couldn’t even set up the car, we just went out and just managed to put it on the front row. So I’m really happy with that.”
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