Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli aborted what could have been a faster lap during Austrian Grand Prix qualifying after mistaking single waved yellow flags for double yellows following Max Verstappen's crash at Turn 9.
Qualifying ended in disarray when Verstappen crashed his Red Bull on his final push lap. Antonelli, the championship leader, was also on a push lap and misinterpreted the flags.
"I saw double yellow, so it probably was my mistake," Antonelli said afterwards. "I heard ‘yellow yellow' from engineer Peter Bonnington on the radio, but I was looking at the marshal and probably I saw wrong."
The error left Antonelli fourth on the grid. Teammate George Russell lifted the throttle but completed his lap to take pole, as timing data showed he had slowed sufficiently.
Antonelli noted the delay in upgrading to double yellows, saying a car in the wall at a fast corner warranted quicker action from race control.
