F1 | Antonelli: pit stop communication issue costs him podium in Qatar
Italian driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli saw a potential podium slip away due to a communication problem between the wheel guns and the pit light during his first stop, which extended the pit stop to 6.3 seconds and cost him the position to Carlos Sainz. In clean air, he could have fought for his third consecutive podium, but traffic and pre-set stints left no chance to recover.
A Qatar race overshadowed by misunderstanding
Unfortunately, Antonelli’s Qatar Grand Prix drew attention for the wrong reasons, with unfounded accusations that his error on the penultimate lap was deliberate to favor Lando Norris, when in reality it was simply a near-limit mistake. Red Bull subsequently issued a formal apology, emphasizing that respect on and off the track remains an essential principle.
However, the race could have turned out very differently if it weren’t for a single incident that ultimately cost him the podium. The Safety Car deployment on lap seven, following the collision between Nico Hulkenberg and Pierre Gasly, prompted most teams to pit, triggering an unavoidable domino effect.
The pit stop that changed everything
Eighteen of the twenty drivers entered the pit lane, creating potential traffic that could cost valuable positions. Kimi Antonelli, who had risen to fourth place at the start thanks to his teammate’s poor launch from the dirty side of the grid, lost a position during his stop due to a technical problem.
At the moment the Safety Car came out, Antonelli had built a roughly two-second gap to Carlos Sainz over seven laps, and with just under four seconds on Fernando Alonso, a normal pit stop would have been enough to maintain his position and capitalize on the McLaren mistake to fight for the podium.
However, a delay in communication between the wheel gun, which signals the correct attachment of all tires, and the pit light caused Antonelli to lose precious seconds, forcing him to wait for Fernando Alonso and Isack Hadjar to pass along the pit lane to avoid an unsafe release. As a result, his stop lasted 6.3 seconds—more than double Carlos Sainz’s—and it became impossible to rejoin ahead of the Spaniard.
“It was an unfortunate incident. We had some issues with the signal that each mechanic gives to the light. So we lost a few seconds with Kimi and consequently lost the position to the Williams. This also caused us to slow down Russell, who in turn lost positions,” explained Simone Resta, Mercedes’ Deputy Technical Director, detailing what happened.
No chance to recover
The opportunity was lost, as Antonelli had no real chance to regain the lost position. The rule requiring drivers to complete exactly 25 laps per stint made it impossible to pit early for an undercut, meaning any recovery had to happen on track. But the numerous high-speed corners at Losail amplified the dirty air effect, reducing aerodynamic grip, and the short DRS zone made overtaking extremely difficult, resulting in a processional race.
This was evident with Lando Norris, who, despite having a pace advantage late in the race, could not mount a genuine attack on Antonelli and had to rely on the Italian’s mistake on the penultimate lap to gain the position.
That pit stop issue, which cost him the position to Carlos Sainz, ultimately dictated Antonelli’s race. In clean air, he could have aimed for his third consecutive podium after Brazil and Las Vegas, the latter also influenced by McLaren errors.
Antonelli now heads to Abu Dhabi still searching for that elusive first “earned” podium – one he was just 6.3 seconds away from securing in Qatar.
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