Kimi Antonelli avoided a five-second track-limits penalty during the Singapore Grand Prix despite crossing the white line on four occasions, after the FIA determined that his final excursion at Turn 7 had been caused by a brake problem rather than driver error.
For part of the race, the Mercedes driver appeared to be heading towards a penalty for a fourth track-limits infringement. McLaren was even keeping Lando Norris informed of the situation and encouraged him to remain within a useful time gap in case Antonelli received the expected five-second sanction.
Why Kimi Antonelli’s fourth Singapore track limit did not count
In the end, however, no penalty was issued even though Kimi Antonelli had gone beyond the track limits four times.
The final incident came at Turn 7 after the Virtual Safety Car period. It was also the one that did not trigger a sanction, because the FIA judged that the excursion had been caused by a technical problem and that Antonelli had gained no advantage from leaving the track.
The FIA uses an automatic detection system to identify when a car crosses beyond the defined circuit limits. Each incident is flagged for review by governing-body personnel and is also sent to the teams, which from this season receive images of every detected infringement.
In Antonelli’s case, the Turn 7 excursion was detected and flagged, but after reviewing the circumstances it was not counted as a track-limits infringement for penalty purposes.
Brake problem sent Antonelli wide at Turn 7
Antonelli had run beyond the white line at Turn 7 because of a brake problem that he immediately reported over the radio.
As the braking system progressively overheated, the brake pedal began to travel further, reducing the car’s deceleration capability.
“At the restart after the VSC, when I braked, nothing happened, I had very little braking power, and I almost ended up in the wall,” Kimi Antonelli explained.
“It was a really complicated race, and on top of that the brake pedal had a very long travel. But it was also something we were expecting. I had spent around three quarters of the race behind another car in dirty air and, obviously, with such high temperatures.”
“On top of that, we had a problem with the brake sensor, so we didn’t even have the data relating to the braking system.”
Mercedes also lost front brake temperature data
Antonelli had already encountered a sensor issue on the grid involving the system used to measure the temperature of the front brakes.
The information was not even available on his steering wheel, leaving Mercedes without a clear reading of the situation as the race developed.
“We were relying on feel. But they were definitely very hot, because I could even smell them,” Antonelli said.
Singapore is generally one of the most demanding circuits of the season for brake management because of the large number of heavy braking zones and the limited opportunities to cool the system between them.
Only after Antonelli managed to bring the brake temperatures back down did braking performance improve and the situation return under control.
FIA rules allow exceptions when a driver has a valid reason
FIA regulations require drivers to make every reasonable effort to remain within the circuit boundaries and prevent them from leaving the track without what is considered a valid reason.
The governing body therefore assesses incidents individually, distinguishing between unjustified excursions and those caused by particular circumstances outside a driver’s control.
In Antonelli’s case, the stewards concluded that the Turn 7 off-track moment was the direct consequence of the braking problem rather than something for which the driver was responsible.
The technical issue could be identified through the onboard footage, telemetry and Antonelli’s radio communications with the team.
Antonelli remains on three counted track-limit infringements
Because Antonelli did not gain an advantage and the excursion resulted directly from the brake problem, the Turn 7 incident was not added to the tally used to determine a track-limits penalty.
The Mercedes driver therefore remained on three counted infringements rather than four and avoided the five-second sanction.
The distinction proved important because McLaren had been actively monitoring Antonelli’s position during the race in case a penalty changed the final order. Instead, the FIA’s review of the circumstances meant the Italian retained his result without the additional five seconds.
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