Mercedes star Kimi Antonelli saw his shot at glory take a serious hit this weekend when race officials threw a last-minute penalty his way—and now one of the team’s most trusted voices is firing back.
The 19-year-old Italian had qualified a solid fourth for the Hungarian Grand Prix, locking down a second-row start for Sunday’s 70-lap battle. But shortly after the session ended, the FIA dropped the bombshell: Antonelli was under investigation for not slowing down enough under yellow flags, triggered by Max Verstappen’s late crash.
The result? A three-place grid penalty that dropped him from P4 to P7 before the lights even went out.
During the pre-race grid walk, Sky Sports legend Martin Brundle caught up with Antonelli’s race engineer, Peter Bonnington—better known to fans as Bono. When asked if the penalty was fair, Bono didn’t hold back.
“Nah, it’s a bit rough, but it is what it is,” he said.
Brundle pressed further, asking if the frustration came from inconsistent decisions—drivers getting away with similar incidents in the past. Bono’s reply was telling.
“Exactly, you know how it is. It used to be the tiniest of lifts. Now it’s trying to work out your speed in the mini sector, which is a little bit complicated to do when the accidents happen just in front of you.
So yeah, it’s a little bit tough.”
The penalty 𝒹𝓇𝒶𝓂𝒶 in Hungary comes just after the FIA admitted they made a mistake at the Belgian GP—choosing not to penalize Charles Leclerc for an incident that damaged Oscar Piastri’s McLaren, then conceding in a drivers’ meeting that he should have been hit with a penalty.
With the governing body under fire for consistency, and a teenage phenom like Antonelli caught in the crossfire, fans are left wondering: are the stewards making the race—or breaking it?
