Kimi Antonelli responds to Max Verstappen collision: 'It could have been big'

Today at 03:15

Kimi Antonelli has expressed relief that he managed to avoid a "big" accident with Max Verstappen during the Miami sprint. Heading into the pits for a change to slick tyres midway through the 18-lap race following a start on intermediates due to the heavy rain that fell over the Miami International Autodrome ahead of the event. As Antonelli started to turn into his pit box, the right-rear wheel of his Mercedes was hit by the front-left of Max Verstappen in his Red Bull, shattering the carbon fibre wheel cover on the W15. Antonelli was forced to abort his stop, costing him a shot at points. The 18-year-old crossed the line in 10th, albeit seven places ahead of the four-time F1 champion who was hit with a 10-second penalty for an unsafe release. Verstappen had taken the chequered flag in fourth, but the punishment demoted him to last as the race finished behind the safety car after Fernando Alonso crashed into a wall on lap 14 due to being hit by Racing Bulls' Liam Lawson. Antonelli would move up to seventh place after various post-race penalties, ensuring he scored two points for the Mercedes team.  Reflecting on the pit-lane incident with Verstappen, speaking to Viaplay, Antonelli said: "The pace was okay. I was struggling a little with the balance, but then the moment to switch to slicks arrived. "I think [what happened in] the pit lane was very unfortunate. No blame on Max because he couldn't do anything. He just respected the order. "I'm happy that I avoided a crash because it could have been a really big one, especially for the mechanics, so I'm happy that nothing went wrong." Piastri was 'over the edge' Antonelli, though, was unhappy with what unfolded at the start. Alongside him on the front row, McLaren's Oscar Piastri enjoyed the marginally better getaway, allowing him to draw alongside F1's youngest polesitter into Turn 1. Antonelli had to take the run-off area to avoid a collision with Piastri, rejoining the track in fourth position. Despite his claim over the radio that he was forced off the track, the stewards opted to take no further action. "It was a great opportunity," said Antonelli. "[I am] a bit annoyed about how lap one went. The getaway was good. Then I broke traction a little, so it was not ideal. "Going into Turn 1, I thought it was a bit on the edge, even a bit over the edge. I got hit, and then obviously went off. "It seems it's like this, that you can do whatever you want. So it's good to know for the future. Definitely, it's a shame. But luckily, we have qualifying to bounce back."