> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.the-race.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Why Antonelli avoided a penalty that seemed obvious - URL: https://www.the-race.com/formula-1/why-antonelli-avoided-a-penalty-that-seemed-obvious/ - Published: 2026-10-12T04:59:48.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-12T04:59:48.000Z - Description: Kimi Antonelli picked up four track limits violations during the Singapore GP, so why did he avoid the standard 5s time penalty? - Author: Josh Suttill - Tags: Formula 1, #kimi-antonelli, #mercedes, #singapore-grand-prix, #primary_homepage_feature Kimi Antonelli picked up four track limits violations at Formula 1's Singapore Grand Prix, so why did he avoid the standard five-second time penalty for doing so? Antonelli had four laps deleted during Sunday's race - two for track limit abuses at Turn 2, one at the final Turn 19 left-hander and the fourth and final on his outlap during the virtual safety car restart at the Turn 7 left-hander. That should have triggered a penalty, but The Race understands Mercedes challenged one of those violations and the stewards revoked it, so Antonelli avoided any sanction. "I had a discussion with the FIA about the fact that he had a warning and then he had another strike; he should have had a five-second penalty," Viaplay F1 commentator Nelson Valkenburg told The Race F1 Podcast - you can listen to the [full episode here](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/singapore-gp-how-ferrari-gave-verstappen-an-easy/id1495557562?i=1000795817719&ref=the-race.com) or below. "He triggered one, but they reviewed it, and then they saw that he didn't. Mercedes asked for a review in that one. "This is why the penalty of five seconds never came, because indeed he had the \[black-and-white final\] warning flag and then he triggered one again. "Maybe even with the braking issue that he had after the pitstop, that could have probably also been it." Antonelli explained the final off at Turn 7, "On the restart of the VSC, when I went to brake, nothing happened. I had really poor stopping, brake power and I almost went into the wall. "It was just very tricky out there, and also the pedal was very long. But it was also kind of expected. I'd run three-quarters of the race behind a car in dirty air and obviously being so hot. Plus, we also had the sensor issue on the brakes, so we didn't even have the data about the brakes. "We didn't know exactly what temperature they were running, so it was all about feeling. But they were hot because I could even smell it, so it was not very pleasant." The FIA sporting regulations say "Drivers must make every reasonable effort to use the track at all times and may not leave the track without a justifiable reason". You can argue a brake issue would be a "justifiable reason", although Antonelli was punished at Silverstone earlier in the year for cutting the corner after a problem with his wheel shield that left him limping to the finish. Antonelli has racked up more track limits deletions in races than any other driver this season. Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff joked after the grand prix: "He kept his cool other than a few of the track limits…I have a good strategy, I'm going to put a pillow from the hotel under his butt so he can actually see the road because I think it's like this, he can't see it. "Half the race we already have three strikes, but it also shows that he's pushing the limits a lot but coming back." Antonelli was warned about track limits multiple times mid-race by race engineer Peter Bonington - at one point he urgently told Antonelli "Track limits, track limits, track limits" over the radio. So does Antonelli have a track limits problem that needs fixing? That was debated on The Race F1 Podcast, prompted by a question from [The Race Members' Club](https://www.patreon.com/c/TheRace?ref=the-race.com). "This did feel like a little bit of an escalation in it because this was one where Bonington - maybe we just heard more radio than normal - \[but\] he seemed to be hammering the point a little bit more," Scott Mitchell-Malm said. "Even Wolff felt the need to make a reference to it on the team radio on the cool-down lap after he'd secured the podium. "There might be a little bit of a sense that Antonelli is not learning the way that he needs to learn here, that it's an unnecessary risk, but he could easily argue that he uses those track limits warnings to work out where the limit is by slightly stepping over it. Then he reins it in and controls it for the rest of his pace was good in that final stint, even though he was up against a potential penalty. "It is probably an unnecessary risk and one that I imagine he will dial out in time. But at the moment, whether he's getting away with it, or he's just working out a good balance, it probably depends on whether you feel glass half full or glass half empty. "It's probably indicative of the driver who has gone much closer to the limit this year than he ever did last year. He's just a little bit too often guilty of slightly overstepping that limit." Valkenburg added "I do believe that as time progresses they need to filter this out a little. "But as he matures, Bono won't need to strike this tone, Toto won't need to strike this tone, so it's a balancing act in this, and perhaps a world title in your back pocket changes things. "It just goes to show that he's still a work in progress." For more chat on how Mercedes needs to handle Antonelli, as well as views on Ferrari's baffling Singapore strategy and whether Red Bull is now F1's team to beat - make sure you listen to the latest episode of The Race F1 Podcast.