Former Formula 1 driver and Sky Sports analyst Karun Chandhok has shared his sympathy for Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli after a yellow flag misjudgement cost the Italian a shot at a front-row start for the Austrian Grand Prix.
The closing moments of Q3 at the Red Bull Ring were thrown into chaos when Max Verstappen lost control of his Red Bull, triggering local yellow flags. While Mercedes team-mate George Russell identified the warning as a single yellow, lifting just enough to comply with the regulations and secure pole position, Antonelli completely abandoned his lap.
While speaking to Sky Sports F1 after qualifying, Antonelli revealed that he had misunderstood the warnings and believed it was a double yellow flag rather than a single yellow.
“I don’t know why, but I thought it was a double yellow, so I aborted completely and missed the front row,” he explained. “I shouldn’t have done that. That was my mistake.”
Chandhok argued that the difference in approach from the two Mercedes drivers could show the experience Russell has over his team-mate.
“This is perhaps George knowing the rules and that you have to have the diagonal double yellow. He also had a bit more time to react,” the former Lotus driver explained.
Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
Photo by: Steven Tee / LAT Images via Getty Images
“I have some sympathy for Antonelli, having seen the clip. When he came up to that yellow flag, he was the car behind Max Verstappen. He didn’t have much time to see it, and in a high-speed corner your eyeline is to the right, looking at the apex.
“I am sure he is disappointed, but he shouldn’t beat himself up too much.”
Russell will start the Austrian Grand Prix from pole position and will be joined on the front row by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Lewis Hamilton and Antonelli will complete the second row, starting from third and fourth, respectively.
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