Mercedes Pinpoints Cause of Antonelli's 'Unusual' False Start Penalty in Vegas
Mercedes has identified the likely cause of Kimi Antonelli's 'unusual' false start penalty at the Las Vegas Grand Prix. The team's investigation suggests the car crept forward by a mere two centimeters due to subtle vibrations or driveline torque when Antonelli released the brakes, not from prematurely dropping the clutch. Mercedes confirms Antonelli followed all correct procedures, and the team will now focus on preventing such minor, involuntary movements from triggering penalties in the future.
Mercedes believes it has uncovered the reason behind Kimi Antonelli's false start and time penalty in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, attributing the 'unusual' movement to a technical nuance rather than a driver error.
Why it matters:
Kimi Antonelli, a rising star in the junior categories and a key Mercedes protégé, received a five-second penalty in Las Vegas for a jump start. While he recovered to a strong third place after post-race disqualifications, understanding the incident is crucial. For Mercedes, it's about refining procedures and avoiding future penalties, especially as Antonelli's career progresses and he potentially moves into higher-stakes racing, including F1.
The Details:
- The Incident: Antonelli was penalized for moving forward 'about two centimeters' before the start lights went out, leading to a five-second time penalty.
- Initial Outcome: Despite the penalty, Antonelli's strategic one-stop race saw him climb to fourth on track, dropping to fifth with the penalty, before being promoted to third after Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri's disqualifications.
- Mercedes' Investigation: Mercedes immediately sought answers from the FIA, as the team believed the 'jump start' was highly unusual.
- Identified Cause: According to Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes' trackside engineering director, the car's subtle forward creep occurred when Antonelli lifted his foot off the brakes, just a second before the lights went out. Crucially, Antonelli had his clutch fully pulled, indicating it wasn't a typical driver error where the clutch is dropped prematurely.
- Technical Nuance: Shovlin suggests that 'vibration of the car or some torque in the driveline' could have caused this minimal, slow roll, which was undetectable to Antonelli but registered by the FIA's highly sensitive systems.
- Driver Compliance: Mercedes emphasized that Antonelli was 'doing everything correctly' according to their instructions, making the penalty particularly frustrating.
What's next:
Mercedes will now focus on understanding how to prevent this specific type of subtle car movement from happening again. This involves analyzing telemetry and potentially adjusting pre-start procedures or car settings to ensure such minor, involuntary movements do not trigger penalties from the FIA's sensitive detection systems. The team aims to ensure Antonelli, or any of their drivers, is not disadvantaged by such technical intricacies in future races.