Former Formula 1 driver Martin Brundle said Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli suffered a valuable but painful setback during the British Grand Prix due to unclear communication about a wheel shield problem.
Antonelli, the 19-year-old Mercedes championship leader, took pole position after winning the sprint race the previous day. He passed Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari during that sprint with a significant speed advantage on the Hangar Straight.
The Italian started the Grand Prix in third place behind Charles Leclerc and Hamilton. He extended his opening stint by ten laps compared with the Ferrari driver before a wheel shield came loose on lap 41.
Brundle wrote in his Sky Sports column that Antonelli failed to relay clear details about the issue during his first pit stop. The team replaced the nose, front wing and tyres but the problem persisted, forcing a second stop two laps later.
Antonelli recovered pace to sit in tenth before a five-second track limits penalty dropped him to 15th. Brundle argued the penalty rule should not apply in cases involving mechanical trouble.
