F1 star facing FIA demotion at British Grand Prix

The FIA announced a penalty verdict ahead of the British Grand Prix

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Accredited motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 1 July 2025 19:27

A Mercedes F1 star has been hit with a grid demotion at the British Grand Prix, after the FIA confirmed a penalty from last weekend’s race in Austria.

Chaos erupted on the opening lap of the Austrian GP, when Kimi Antonelli locked up into Turn 3 and pummelled into the side of Max Verstappen’s RB21.

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The pair came to a standstill on the track as a safety car was deployed, and both drivers jumped out of the car safely, but were unable to continue due to the damage inflicted on the Red Bull and Mercedes.

As a result, the stewards have given Antonelli a three-place grid penalty for the upcoming British GP at Silverstone this weekend, and whilst they understood the collision was not intentional, he was still predominantly to blame for the incident.

The penalty means that even if Antonelli were to secure pole position at Silverstone, he can only hope for a best start on the grid of P4.

Is Verstappen out of the F1 title race?

Antonelli will serve a penalty at Silverstone

Antonelli’s crash with Verstappen has also severely damaged the Dutchman’s chances of a fifth world title, after he emerged point-less from Austria and is now 61 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri.

Despite the devastating consequences for his title hopes, Verstappen remained calm after the incident and journeyed over to Antonelli where they appeared to have a civil conversation.

Speaking to the media after the race, Verstappen was equally measured, where he said: “Unlucky, I guess. It is what it is. I spoke quickly to Kimi, he came with me to the hospitality.

““I think every driver has made a mistake like that. No one does that on purpose as well so for me, that’s not a big deal.

“It was not the weekend that I guess we hoped for pace wise. Then of course we were a little bit unlucky in qualifying with that yellow flag, otherwise you start a bit further ahead.

"Then the race was unlucky again. Sometimes you have those weekends.”

Max Verstappen Mercedes FIA Kimi Antonelli Austrian GP British GP