Formula 1, Sportrik Media - Kimi Antonelli was at the centre of an unusual incident that resulted in a fine for Mercedes during qualifying for the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix at Albert Park. The team released the W17 from the garage with a cooling fan still attached to the right-hand side of the car during Q3.
The situation unfolded only hours after Antonelli had suffered a major crash in the final practice session. Mercedes mechanics faced an intense turnaround to repair the heavily damaged car so the Italian driver could participate in qualifying. Antonelli managed to return to the circuit during Q1 following a red flag triggered by a crash involving Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing.
The problem occurred when Antonelli left the garage for a Q3 run. The cooling fan detached from the car as he negotiated Turn 1. One of the components was then struck by the car of Lando Norris from McLaren, shattering the device into multiple fragments that scattered across the circuit.
The debris forced race control to stop the session with a red flag while marshals cleared the track. One piece of the fan assembly also caused damage to Norris’ front wing after being struck on the racing line.
Following an investigation into an unsafe release, the stewards imposed a €7,500 fine on Mercedes. The officials considered the exceptional circumstances surrounding the earlier repair work carried out on Antonelli’s car.
“Car 12 was released from its garage during the session with a duct cooling fan still attached on the right side of the car,” the stewards’ report stated.
“The fan assembly disconnected as the car negotiated Turn 1 and split apart. One section bounced onto the gravel at the exit, while another remained on the track and was struck by another car, causing debris to spread across the circuit and damage to that car.”
Mercedes explained that the earlier crash forced a temporary redistribution of responsibilities among mechanics during the emergency repair work. The team member normally responsible for removing the cooling fan had been assigned to another task, which resulted in the fan not being removed before the car left the garage.
The team also confirmed that neither Mercedes nor Antonelli realized the cooling device was still attached until the issue was reported by race control during the session.
Baca Juga
Kimi Antonelli memicu denda Mercedes di F1 Australia 2026 setelah kipas pendingin tertinggal di mobil saat Q3 dan menyebabkan red flag serta kerusakan mobil rival.
Aston Martin berdiskusi dengan FIA agar Lance Stroll tetap bisa start F1 Australia 2026 meski gagal ikut kualifikasi.
Lewis Hamilton mempertanyakan keunggulan tenaga Mercedes setelah Ferrari tertinggal jauh di kualifikasi F1 Australia 2026.
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