Mercedes F1 star hit with LATE penalty at Miami Grand Prix

George Russell, Kimi Antonelli at the Japanese GP press conference — Photo: © IMAGO

Miami Grand Prix Sprint

Mercedes F1 star hit with LATE penalty at Miami Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli was demoted after the race

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Saturday 2 May 2026 19:20

F1 world championship leader Kimi Antonelli was demoted in the immediate aftermath of the Miami Grand Prix sprint race.

Mercedes' Antonelli crossed the line in fourth, ahead of team-mate and championship rival George Russell.

However, in what could prove to be a huge moment in the championship fight come the end of the season, Antonelli was demoted down to sixth post-race, behind Russell and Max Verstappen.

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The reason was that the Italian teenager had picked up too many track limits infringements, resulting in a five-second time penalty. Antonelli was waved the black-and-white flag on lap 12 of the race which signified his final warning, before picking up his fourth track limits violation on the final lap, seeing him hit with the five-second penalty.

It capped off what was a disappointing display from 19-year-old Antonelli, after another poor start saw him drop from second to fourth before turn one.

He never really recovered from that, and faced fierce pressure from Russell behind, rather than being able to go after Charles Leclerc and the two McLarens ahead of him.

Mercedes struggling in Miami

The on-track performance and resulting penalty for Antonelli meant that Mercedes - who have been the dominant force in the sport so far in 2026 - could only finish the sprint race in fourth and sixth position, as their rivals look to close the gap to them in the constructors' championship standings.

Their closest rivals for the first three grand prix weekends - Ferrari - brought 11 different upgrades to their SF-26 for the Miami GP weekend, and they are starting to see the benefits of those.

Perhaps the biggest surprise this weekend, however, has been McLaren, who have clearly been busy in the five-week break from the sport.

McLaren secured a one-two finish during the Miami GP sprint race, and are looking much more like their 2025 championship-winning season rather than the team that struggled for top-five finishes in the early part of the season.

F1 HEADLINES: Ferrari fumble hard at Miami Grand Prix as FIA punishment confirmed

F1 Mercedes FIA Kimi Antonelli Miami Grand Prix