29/06/2025 17:20
Max Verstappen has explained what he said to Kimi Antonelli after
the Mercedes driver took him out on the first lap of the Austrian
Grand Prix. The young Italian locked up heading into Turn 3,
hitting Liam Lawson and then the Red Bull, which was spun round.
Whilst the New Zealander was able to continue, finishing in sixth
for the best result of his F1 career, the other two were instantly
forced into retirement. Antonelli immediately took responsibility
for his mistake, confirming that he had apologised to Verstappen.
However, the 18-year-old was unsure of what the Dutchman said to
him in response. He will visit the stewards for the incident and
could face a grid penalty at the next round, the British Grand
Prix. The four-time F1 drivers' champion, meanwhile, took the
collision in his stride, maintaining that the "very big talent"
that is Antonelli will learn from his error. When speaking to media
after the race at the Red Bull Ring, the 27-year-old revealed what
he said to the rookie driver in the aftermath of the incident. "I
just asked what happened, because he was the only car that was
there with me, with this wheel hanging off," the 65-time grand prix
winner told media, including RacingNews365 . "So I was like, 'I'm
pretty sure that he hit me'. "And yeah, then, of course, I saw the
footage one once I came back [to the garage], and it happens.
"Every driver has made a mistake like that in their career. And
also, Kimi is a very big talent, so he learns from that, and that's
all fine."
