Kimi Antonelli was initially given a five-second penalty for an unsafe release (Image: GETTY)
The result of the Australian Grand Prix has been changed with Kimi Antonelli having a penalty overturned following a post-race appeal from . The young Italian crossed the line in fourth place to mark a stunning F1 debut, having started from 16th place after struggling in qualifying. However, he was classified as the fifth-placed finisher after receiving a five-second penalty.
Antonelli was penalised after he was released into the path of while making a pit stop for a new set of intermediate tyres. The stewards deemed it an unsafe release and handed down the penalty just minutes before the chequered flag. It saw Antonelli drop from fourth to fifth after the race, being leapfrogged by in the finishing order.
were quick to challenge the ruling, lodging a petition for the right to review the penalty. In order to succeed, the petition needed to show that it had a significant and relevant new element that was unavailable to the stewards at the time of the decision.
The penalty was eventually overturned, meaning Antonelli has been bumped up to fourth place with Albon slipping one position to fifth. The stewards determined that roll hoop camera footage, which was downloaded after the race, constituted a ‘significant and relevant new element’.
After reviewing the footage, the stewards said: “It is clear that Car 12 [Antonelli] did not cross into the fast lane until a significant distance down the pit lane and only after the driver checked his mirror to confirm clearance with Car 27 [Hulkenberg].”
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