Formula 1 - Mercedes drama in Formula 1 qualifying: Kimi Antonelli pushed off the track in the pit lane!

Four seconds remained on the clock during Formula 1 qualifying in Spielberg when Kimi Antonelli exited the final corner of the Red Bull Ring onto the start-finish straight. Just a few meters from the finish line, the lights turned red and the black-and-white checkered flag was waved. It was over, over, no second attempt for the Mercedes junior. With no chance of improving his lap time, the 18-year-old will start the Austrian Grand Prix from ninth place.

"It was a shame I couldn't make the final attempt. I thought I'd be able to make it to the flag, so I pushed the tires. It wasn't easy to put together a lap today," said the rookie, who was over a second behind Lando Norris' pole time . But why wasn't Antonelli's time enough?

For the final run in Q3, the remaining ten drivers lined up at the pit exit quite late. Mercedes sent its junior driver out of the garage too late, so he had to line up at the back of the queue at the pit lane exit. Well, almost at the back. Gabriel Bortoleto 's Sauber hadn't actually joined the lineup yet when Antonelli arrived.

According to the rulebook, one tire must be fully on the fast lane for a driver to join the pit exit queue. A small gap opened up in front of Antonelli, which the Sauber driver exploited. He quickly pushed his front wheel onto the pit exit asphalt, forcing Antonelli to brake hard and let him pass.

For the Mercedes rookie, the situation is clear: "The Sauber [Gabriel Bortoleto] pushed me off the track, which wasn't really fair. After that, I was in a really bad position," criticized the Italian. When asked about the incident, Bortoleto simply said: "In my opinion, I didn't push him off the track. I won't say anything more about it." The stewards did not investigate the case.

To avoid hitting Bortoleto's dirty air and compressing his tires, Antonelli had to build a few seconds' gap to the C45. This, along with letting several fast cars pass him, ultimately cost him his second fast lap by a whisker.

Antonelli saw himself in the top six today. "That would definitely have been possible today; the car felt decent. Not being able to finish the last lap wasn't ideal," the 18-year-old said, looking downcast. The good race pace his W16 showed in practice gives him hope for race day.

It was an exciting Saturday in the pit lane for Mercedes. While their junior driver was forced off the grid, their senior driver had to appear before the stewards and answer for an infraction. As George Russell set off for his first fast lap in the third qualifying session, he tried to line up behind Max Verstappen, but failed to notice the two bright red Ferraris directly behind him.

"I can't see a damn thing. Can you let me know [when I can drive]?" he snapped at his chief mechanic, Matthew Deane, over the radio. "There's no window to look out of. You can't move your head much, and the mirrors don't help. It's a big blind spot," Russell defended himself after qualifying. The Briton got off with a warning, while the team received a reprimand.

It's a small consolation for the last Grand Prix winner, who starts the race in Austria from P5. However, Russell isn't particularly depressed about his starting position: "I won't be celebrating today, but I won't lose any sleep over it either," Russell commented dryly.

For Mercedes, it was clear from the start that the weekend at the Red Bull Ring would not be easy. The track characteristics – long, fast corners, rough asphalt – as well as the hot temperatures in Spielberg do not suit the W16's strengths. Two weeks ago, the asphalt in Montreal was slippery and the air cool; in Austria, track temperatures are expected to reach up to 50 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

"It's always difficult when you know before the weekend that it's not going to be good. We got the maximum out of it today, the gaps were as expected - except for the one to Lando [Norris]," Russell summed up his qualifying performance and alluded to the superior performance of his compatriot .

He identified the Ferrari drivers and Max Verstappen, who only managed seventh place in qualifying, as his main rivals. But Russell didn't set his expectations too high: "We can hope to finish where we start. More than fifth place would be a strong result. We have to do damage control." However, if an opportunity to achieve more arises, he will, of course, seize it immediately.

One driver in particular impressed in the first free practice session in Austria: Alex Dunne, the Irish McLaren rookie. Despite his impressive performance, the Formula 2 driver's motorsport future remains uncertain. Read the article for details!