Kimi Antoneri says Turn 1 incident, in which he lost his lead in the Miami Grand Prix Sprint, was a “cap” from Oscar Piastri, but did not blame Max Verstappen for the later conflict between the pair.
Piastri has gotten better launches than the Polesitter Antonelli in wet conditions, allowing him to go inwards to the first corner. Antoneri hanged out to the outside, but ran large and lost three spots. He was then attacked by Verstappen in the pit lane, preventing him from stopping his smooth tires in an incident that ruined the race.
“Yes, it was a very disappointing thing,” Antonelli said. “I think lap 1 on turn 1 was a bit over the limit, but honestly, it’s good to know for the future.
“And about the pit lane – it was very important. There was nothing to blame Max. He was released and he respected the orders.
Toto Wolff backed up drivers who talk to Sky Sports because he believes current driving guidelines allow cars on the outside to escape too easily.
“We’ll set a good precedent,” Wolf said. “You’re just releasing the brakes, pushing the other guys away. It’s also because of the junior official. I think you need to leave your car space.
“It creeped up a bit. For one turn you push them out. It was your sixth race and he learned the lesson that this is what you need to do.
In a clash with Verstappen in the pits, Wolff added:
“I’m amazed at the total lack of judgment there. I wasn’t even close to releasing it without security concerns. Someone panicked there.”
Verstappen was given a 10-second time penalty for an unsafe release from Red Bull, demoting him from fourth on the road, finishing outside the point, losing ground to both McLaren drivers.
“The race itself was pretty boring,” Verstappen said. “It wasn’t happening much for me, just doing my thing and McLaren disappears and keeps the gap with the car behind me.
“Of course, I think the call to the pit was pretty good. I could have taken a little more risk, but at that point in my position, I don’t have to do that in the sprint.
“In the pit, it was very clear. You don’t even need to explain it. It’s very clear. It’s not something you want to see.”