What Kimi Antonelli was seen doing in the Dutch Grand Prix paddock after Charles Leclerc crash

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Kimi Antonelli was penalised for taking Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc out of Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix. Antonelli was on for a bounce-back race before the lap 53 incident.

The Mercedes driver failed to reach Q3 on Saturday, but he rallied during the race and climbed to sixth after the Silver Arrows swapped their cars. Teammate George Russell had already sustained damage in an incident with Leclerc.

Antonelli’s side of the garage looked to put Leclerc under pressure with a second pit-stop, and Ferrari reacted. The rookie was just behind when his rival exited the pits, but he attempted an audacious move on the inside of the banked turn three.

He then understeered into Leclerc, tagging his rear end and sending him spinning into the barriers. Antonelli was able to continue, but the damage to the Ferrari was terminal.

The stewards applied a 10-second penalty for the incident, though Antonelli received another five for speeding in the pit lane.

Kimi Antonelli apologises to Ferrari after Charles Leclerc collision

Antonelli was eventually classified 16th after penalties were applied, which put him second from last among the finishers. He was on course for his best result since his maiden podium in Montreal.

Despite the agony, Antonelli creditably visited the Ferrari facility in the paddock after the race. This was captured by DAZN, the Spanish broadcasters.

• READ MORE: F1 team chief reveals Mercedes ‘offered’ them the chance to sign Kimi Antonelli for the 2025 season

Speaking to Canal+, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur confirmed that Antonelli had come to apologise. Leclerc was restrained in his criticism, simply calling it an overly optimistic move.

It’s not the first time Antonelli has been deemed at fault for an incident with a big-name driver. He dramatically ended Max Verstappen’s race on the first lap in Austria after a lock-up.

How will the Italian Grand Prix crowd react to Kimi Antonelli?

This error comes at a doubly awkward time for Antonelli. Most importantly, he’s only scored points in one of the last five Grands Prix.

He’s now at risk of falling outside the top seven in the world championship after Williams driver Alex Albon, who finished fifth, levelled him on 64 points.

There were fears that Antonelli could be booed by the Tifosi before his first home race at Imola, but that never came to pass. However, he’s now crashed into a Ferrari driver on the eve of the Italian Grand Prix.

Outright hostility is unlikely, and Antonelli’s conduct after the race should mend any damage.

Jacques Villeneuve believes Antonelli is ‘getting worse’ rather than better in his debut campaign, and rather than silencing the narrative here from an excellent position, he’s fuelled the critics who argue his front-running debut came too soon.