Why Antonelli Avoided A Penalty Despite Four Track Limits Incidents In Singapore

Kimi Antonelli appeared to commit four track limits violations in the Singapore Grand Prix but avoided a penalty, leaving many onlookers puzzled after the race. The usual five-second penalty would not have changed the result in any case: Antonelli finished third, 15.9 seconds ahead of fourth-placed Lando Norris.

Where did the four violations happen?

Antonelli had four laps deleted during the race: two for track limits at Turn 2, one at the final corner (Turn 19) and a fourth on his out lap at the Turn 7 left-hander during the Virtual Safety Car restart. Race engineer Peter Bonington warned him repeatedly about track limits, at one point urgently repeating the warning three times over the radio. Antonelli was shown the black-and-white flag on lap 35, the final warning before a penalty, and then exceeded the limits again, which is why a penalty was expected.

Why no penalty?

According to the FIA stewards’ assessment, his braking problems were enough to treat one of the incidents as having a “justifiable reason”. That left Antonelli within the permitted limit of three violations. Article B1.8.5 of the 2026 sporting regulations requires drivers to make every reasonable effort to use the track at all times and not to leave it without a justifiable reason. The brake problems, and the fact that he gained no advantage by leaving the track, also counted in his favour.

The Race reports that Mercedes challenged one of the violations and the stewards revoked it. Antonelli said his car failed to slow as expected when he braked at Turn 7 on the restart, and he had reported brake problems over the radio during the final-corner incident. Throughout the race he also reported fluid around his feet, which the team attributed to heat soak.

Wolff’s joke

Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff praised Antonelli’s composure after the race and joked about the track limits. He said he had a good strategy: he would take a pillow from the hotel and put it under Antonelli so that he could actually see the road. He added that they already had three strikes in the first half of the race, which also shows that Antonelli is pushing the limits a lot but coming back.

Most deleted laps of the season

According to The Race, Antonelli has had more race laps deleted for track limits than any other driver this season. The debate is whether it shows a driver learning where the boundaries lie by using warnings to find the limit, or an unnecessary risk that leaves little margin for error. Antonelli found good pace in the final stint despite the threat of a penalty.