F1 Dutch Grand Prix: Mercedes F1 star Kimi Antonelli reveals 'big time' car damage after qualifying mistake

Russell and Antonelli in Mercedes race suits against the FIA and F1 blue and white screen backdrop — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Dutch Grand Prix

Kimi Antonelli reveals 'big time' car damage after qualifying mistake at F1 Dutch Grand Prix

That could cost him some points...

Chris Deeley Editor

Experienced sports writer covering F1 and other motorsports since 2023

Saturday 22 August 2026 15:57 Updated: 17:28

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Kimi Antonelli has revealed that his poor performance in Dutch Grand Prix Sprint Qualifying was due at least in part to a mistake he made in SQ1.

On his very first flying lap of the afternoon, the Italian got loose in the penultimate corner and bounced across the gravel trap on the outside of the banked bend, revealing later that he had damaged the floor of his car in the process.

That seriously impacted the downforce the car was able to generate, leaving Antonelli languishing on the third row of the grid for Saturday's 24-lap Sprint. Fortunately for him, he will still start ahead of his closest championship rival Lewis Hamilton.

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The damage could not be repaired until after the Sprint race, leaving the teenager with a tricky fight to limit his losses with a car which won't handle as he's used to.

SPRINT RESULTS: Full times and finishing positions from Zandvoort

Antonelli admits damage lingering despite mechanics' best efforts

Asked if he'd picked up damage in that off-track excursion, he said: “Oh yeah, (there was) big time (damage). I had a couple of holes in the floor. When I came in, they initially said it was a loss of 25 (downforce) points. They tried to repair as much as possible, but definitely the damage was still there. I was struggling a lot in the low-speed (corners).

“It is what it is. It was a little bit too much entry speed in the last corner on that first lap. I lost the rear and went through the gravel, and that was pretty much it. And then obviously it was not easy to build the confidence back. But still decently close, and we’ll have another go tomorrow.

“We’ll try to do the best race we can. It’s very close at the front, so it’s not going to be easy to overtake, but we’ll try to do the best we can even with the damage. Then, from qualifying, we’re going to tidy the car up and go again.”

His team principal Toto Wolff confirmed the damage and the source of it, saying: "Kimi lost 20 points [of downforce] with a hole in the floor but we managed to patch it up and it looked like it was completely in tact afterwards.

"The gaps are so close and he made a little bit of a mistake at Turn 11, pushing too hard on the entry, and it can go quickly."

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F1 Mercedes Toto Wolff Kimi Antonelli Dutch Grand Prix