P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Kimi Antonelli received a five-second time penalty for a false start in the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Mercedes has identified the reason for Kimi Antonelli’s false start and time penalty in the Las Vegas Grand Prix, attributing it to a very subtle movement of the car before the lights went out.
Antonelli received a five-second penalty after creeping forward before the race start, causing him to drop from fourth to fifth place initially, but he was later reinstated to third following disqualifications of other drivers.
Mercedes plans to seek clarification from the FIA regarding the penalty, with trackside engineering director Andrew Shovlin explaining the sequence of events leading to the penalty.
Shovlin clarified that the penalty was not due to a traditional “jump start,” as Antonelli had his clutch fully pulled and the slight movement occurred when he released the brakes moments before the lights out.
The FIA’s sensitive systems picked up on this minimal motion, leading to the penalty, despite Antonelli following the team’s instructions correctly, prompting Mercedes to prevent such incidents in the future through further analysis.
