Photo: RacePictures

F1 Today | Antonelli road crash dynamics revealed as ex-Hamilton race engineer under fire

22:59, 17 Feb

byTobia Elia

As always, let’s take a look at the two main Formula 1 stories from today, Tuesday, February 17.

Italian authorities piece together details of Antonelli’s San Marino road crash

Italian police have pieced together the sequence of events surrounding Kimi Antonelli’s road accident, which occurred just days before the Bahrain test.

According to the official report, the young driver lost control of his Mercedes-AMG GT 63 PRO 4MATIC+ Motorsport Collection during the night in Serravalle.

As outlined in a note sent to GPblog, the incident took place on the dual carriageway, on the uphill stretch near the junction with Via Ranco. After losing control, the car initially struck a roadside sign on the right-hand side of the road before continuing into the guardrail, which was hit twice. The limited traffic conditions played a key role in containing both the damage and the overall outcome of the crash.

Kimi Antonelli the loser of Bahrain 2026 test week on and off the track

Photo: Race Pictures

Ferrari veteran unloads on Hamilton’s ex engineer after 2025 radio drama

Appearing on the High Performance, former Felipe Massa's race engineer Rob Smedley suggested that the repeated radio exchanges aired last season between Hamilton and Adami were a red flag, pointing to a partnership that never fully clicked and to communication issues that ran deeper than they should have.

Smedley explained that when frustrations start spilling out over the radio, it is usually a sign that the relationship has not yet reached the level of trust and understanding required, which can quickly become counterproductive.

He added that a race engineer’s role is to be completely on top of the car and its behaviour at all times, so that any question from the driver can be answered immediately. Hearing responses such as “we’ll get back to you,” Smedley said, is something he finds deeply concerning — stressing bluntly that the pit wall is not a call centre.