Mercedes Weighs Kimi Antonelli Penalty Protest

Mercedes is examining the possibility of protesting Kimi Antonelli’s British Grand Prix penalty after the Italian left Silverstone without points.

Antonelli was handed a five-second penalty after being judged to have breached track limits on multiple occasions around Silverstone. However, he immediately objected over team radio, arguing that he was not in complete control of the car following a front wheel shield failure.

The issue significantly hurt Antonelli’s pace and his ability to keep the car between the white lines. After two pit-lane visits, he was demoted to ninth place before a safety car bunched the field and made his hopes of holding onto points even more difficult.

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Toto Wolff said Mercedes is now reviewing whether the track-limits penalty can be challenged, given that Antonelli’s off-track moments occurred while the car was compromised. The penalty ultimately dropped Antonelli to 16th.

“I don't know the latest, but we're definitely looking at the situation and whether we can avoid that penalty for track limits,” Wolff told media including RacingNews365.

“He couldn't turn the car.”

Antonelli was told over team radio to retire the Mercedes challenger, but the championship leader chose to stay out in an attempt to bring home points. Wolff praised that mentality, although he admitted a more cautious call could have been made earlier on safety grounds.

“If it were me, I would have made the call 10 laps to the end to pit because of safety issues,” Wolff said.

“But the suspension looked okay. That's the biggest issue, and he was just basically surviving from lap to lap and saying that he could do that.”

“In the end if we're able to get rid of that penalty, these points could be decisive in a championship.”

Antonelli’s case leaves Mercedes with an important post-race decision after the British GP, as a scoreless result could directly affect the title fight. If a protest reopens the possibility of points, the Silverstone incident could become an administrative moment with major championship consequences.