Anthony Davidson thinks Kimi Antonelli was ‘caught out’ after crash at Australian Grand Prix

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Anthony Davidson thinks Andrea Kimi Antonelli was “caught out” by the change in grip on the kerb when he crashed in the final part of FP3 at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix.

Antonelli destroyed his car with 13 minutes left of the session on Saturday at Albert Park, to leave Mercedes with a big task to repair his W17 in time for qualifying for the Australian GP. The 19-year-old wrecked the entire right-hand side of his car with a huge incident at Turn 2.

Before the crash, Antonelli had looked very competitive as he got dialled in for the first race of the 2026 F1 season in Melbourne. The Italian was up in fourth in the timesheets when he brought out the red flags to stop FP3 just before the qualifying simulations were set to start.

Mercedes teammate George Russell was ultimately able to set a fast lap just before the end of the session, after the final practice session resumed with four minutes remaining. Russell topped the FP3 timesheets at the Australian GP with a 1:19.053, while Antonelli finished P7.

Anthony Davidson points to the kerb for causing Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s FP3 crash at the Australian Grand Prix

Mercedes ace Antonelli crashed at the end of FP3 at the Australian GP when he lost control of his W17 as he came off the end of the inside kerb at Turn 2. Davidson believes it was the change in grip between the kerb and the tarmac that then caused Antonelli to find the wall.

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Antonelli could not wrestle back control, as the rear-end of his car quickly came around and flicked him backwards into the outside wall. Davidson and Martin Brundle instantly pointed to the kerb and the increased speed in a qualifying sim as the reasons why Antonelli crashed.

“I did not expect that,” Davidson said on Sky Sports F1 (7/3, 02:39). “Did something break? Ah, he just got on the kerb, didn’t he? He accelerated too hard on the kerb.”

To which, Brundle added: “I think the car with the oscillation, with the frequency of the kerb, just gave up grip, didn’t it? In qualifying trim, you’ve got so much power coming off that corner.”

Davidson continued: “Exactly. Look at this. He runs that kerb on the left, and it’s where it rejoins the track, the tarmac. That’s all it took to completely upset the car.

“He would have had, at that part of the track, so much more power than he’s been used to in the long runs. And it’s caught him out.”

Mercedes will hope Antonelli’s FP3 crash in Melbourne does not hurt his confidence

Mercedes will hope that Antonelli’s crash does not hurt his confidence, as he had begun the 2026 F1 season strongly at the Australian GP until the final 15 minutes of FP3. Antonelli was only 0.005s off Russell’s pace in FP1 and was also 0.106s faster than the Briton for P2 in FP2.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Mercedes F1 driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli

George Russell led the Ferrari duo atop the FP3 timesheets at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix

Who is your favourite for pole position in Melbourne after practice?

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Antonelli was just 0.214s off the pace as McLaren’s Oscar Piastri topped the FP2 timesheets at the Australian GP on Friday, as the Mercedes-engined crews began to show more of their hands. The Bologna boy may have even been in the fight for pole position with a clean FP3.

Mercedes have already seen how big incidents can harm 19-year-old Antonelli’s confidence in his fledgling F1 career. Antonelli admitted that he “overreacted” at the 2025 Italian Grand Prix after his 52G crash in practice at the 2024 round, when he made his F1 weekend debut.

Also, Antonelli admitted he was “struggling to drive the car” in 2025 after losing confidence due to Mercedes’ rear suspension upgrade. While the Italian got his first F1 podium with P3 in the 2025 Canadian GP with it, it was his only point-scoring finish over a seven-round run.