Andrea Kimi Antonelli has learned his fate after having faced his third FIA stewards’ investigation in two Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends.
The Italian avoided two separate probes from the sport’s governing body at the opening weekend in Australia last week.
At this weekend’s Chinese Grand Prix, Antonelli faced the potential wrath of the stewards again, after being summonded for potentially blocking Lando Norris in Sprint qualifying.
The reigning World Champion was commencing a flying lap when he encountered Antonelli’s Mercedes, which he felt was too far onto the racing line, impeding him.
Norris subsequently abandoned the lap, which took place in Q2, before qualifying third, behind Antonelli, who took second behind Mercedes teammate George Russell.
After deliberation, Antonelli was found to have committed no wrongdoing, and will duly keep his second place on the grid for Saturday morning’s Sprint Race in Shanghai.
The FIA decision document read: “The driver of Car 1 [Lando Norris] told us that he was on a “pushing warm up lap” and not on a push lap. In other words, he was not actively seeking to set a meaningful lap time when Car 12 [Kimi Antonell] came out of the pit lane and onto the track.
|”Had Car 1 been on a push lap then, given the position of Car 12 on the track, Car 12 would have unnecessarily impeded Car 1.
“In the light of the clear position taken by the driver of Car 1 that he was not impeded by Car 12 as he was not seeking to set a meaningful lap time, we took no further action.”
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