Kimi Antonelli expressed sympathy for Charles Leclerc following the Turn 1 incident that ended the Monegasque’s race in the Brazilian GP.

The young Italian driver, thanks to bouncing against the SF-25, managed to avoid what would have been an inevitable spin after being hit squarely by Oscar Piastri, allowing him to continue the race without major issues.

The Mercedes driver ultimately went on to finish the race in second place, benefiting from the penalty handed to the Australian following the early-race crash, which dropped him to fifth and cost him valuable points in the championship battle against his teammate, who now leads the standings with nearly a full race advantage with three rounds to go.

In the usual cool-down room after the race, reviewing the incident replays, race winner Lando Norris jokingly told Antonelli that he should thank Leclerc for avoiding even bigger trouble, to which the Italian replied with a simple “poor guy.”

Photo: Race Pictures

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The Turn 1 incident following the race restart became one of the main talking points of the Grand Prix, with the stewards handing Piastri a ten-second penalty that ended up being a heavy blow to his championship hopes.

The Australian disagreed with the stewards’ decision, arguing that he couldn’t just disappear suddenly and that Antonelli took the corner as if there was no one else there — a point Leclerc himself also highlighted after the race.

At the end of the Grand Prix, the stewards explained their reasoning behind the penalty.

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