Kimi Antonelli Apologizes to Max Verstappen After Colliding at Austrian GP originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
Kimi Antonelli has apologized to Max Verstappen after a dramatic opening-lap collision at the Austrian Grand Prix ended Verstappen’s race.
The chaos erupted on Lap 1. Antonelli, who’s in his rookie season with Williams, locked up under braking while battling in a tight pack and slammed into Verstappen’s Red Bull. Verstappen was forced into his first retirement of the year and watched the rest of the race from the garage.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1, Antonelli broke down the mistake in painful detail. “I didn’t necessarily brake too late, it’s just that when I braked hard behind other cars, I locked the rears,” he explained.
“I couldn’t stop the car. I locked the rear, lost the car, had to avoid Lawson, and by then it was too late. I started to lock the front, and instead of slowing, I was actually gaining speed. The crash was inevitable.”
Clearly remorseful, the rookie said: “Just feel super sorry to the team, and to Max of course, because he was just a passenger. It’s a big mistake.”
Antonelli knows all eyes will be on him at Silverstone next week. We’ll see if we get a penalty, but it’s going to be important to get back and start doing like I did in Canada,” he added.
KIMI ANTONELLI LOCKS UP AND COLLIDES WITH MAX VERSTAPPEN!!
THEY ARE BOTH OUT OF THE AUSTRIAN GRAND PRIX 😳 pic.twitter.com/GZdRvKd1ll
— ESPN F1 (@ESPNF1) June 29, 2025
For Verstappen, who’s rarely seen walking away from a race this early, the incident could have massive implications on the title fight and gave fans one of the season’s biggest shocks so far.
Related: Max Verstappen Fumes After Antonelli Clash Triggers First DNF of 2025
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
