Kimi Antonelli issues defiant reaction after disastrous end to Silverstone race
Despite winning the sprint race and scoring pole position Kimi Antonelli walked away from the Grand Prix at Silverstone with no points
Kimi Antonelli says that scoring no points in the British GP after an afternoon of frustration “makes the fire grow even more” as he chases the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship.
The Italian led the first part of the race before a very late stop dropped him behind Charles Leclerc, and he was in the process of charging back to the lead on fresh tyres when a lost aerodynamic part at the front of the car cost hm performance.
After two extra stops for attention he crossed the line in P9. However he had received a five-second penalty for going off track multiple times while dealing with the difficult car, which thanks to the field crossing the finish line close together after a late safety car period dropped him out of the points in P15.
“I lost I don't know how much downforce, the car wouldn't turn anymore,” he said when asked about his issues by Crash.net. “In some of the corners, the wheel was in the air, so there was something fundamental that was broken.
“We only know now that the wheel shield broke, but we don't know if something else broke, because by the loss it feels like it was more than just a wheel shield, but then, of course, the team will have more time to analyse it, but it was a shame, because we had a shot for the win today. I think we were going for it.”
The radio traffic between Antonelli and his engineer Peter Bonnington indicated just how determined he was to stay out and try to finish in the points, despite being given the option to come in and retire.
“I just showed that I have the mindset that I try every time I go on track, I do my best, that I try to give everything,” he said. “And that even today, despite things that were already going against us, I saw there was the possibility to get one point.
“And I was just trying my best to achieve that, and I was going to achieve that. But then the safety car came. I just didn't really have the possibility to even try for that.”
Antonelli accepted the penalty for leaving the track without justification, with the stewards acknowledging that he had a car issue but indicating that it wasn’t an excuse.
"I mean, these are the rules, so I cannot do anything about it,” he said. “Of course, I was trying my best to stay on track, but it was really undriveable. And of course, to get a penalty for that, it hurts, but these are the rules, and nothing I can do about it.”
The result came just two races after Antonelli failed to score in Barcelona due to a late battery failure, However he remains unperturbed despite the recent blows to his title campaign, which have allowed team mate George Russell to close the gap.
“I think we lost a lot of points,” he said. “But the momentum is there because I think this weekend we showed the speed. And we showed, as well, what the potential can be, when I'm in a good place, when also we're in a good place with the team, with the car.
“We showed what we are capable of, so I think that the momentum is still there, and actually it makes the fire grow even more to go out there in Spa and try to do even better.”
Adam Cooper attended his first F1 race at Brands Hatch as a 10-year-old fan in 1976. He became a freelance journalist for Autosport magazine in 1985 while still at university, initially covering everything from club racing to the FIA World Sportscar Championship.
