Verstappen-Antonelli collision was a "human error"

Oscar piastri, leading the Drivers' World Championship standings, said this at the end of the Miami sprint race: " car racing is sometimes cruel " he reacted after having the victory stolen by his teammate Lando Norris, lucky with the timing of the Safety Car's release.

Andrea Kimi Antonelli also experienced this cruelty typical of the premier class of motorsport. At the top of the standings the day before thanks to his first pole position – despite it being a sprint session – the Italian suffered a brutal fall during the short 18-lap race. After going off the track at the first corner, which cost him three positions, the young driver Mercedes was then harpooned by the four-time world champion Max Verstappen, victim of a communication error from his team in the pit lane. A blunder by the team Red Bull that Toto wolff don't castigate.

« If it was the main race, it would have been really annoying., the Austrian leader reassures himself. But I am surprised by the complete lack of judgment, because it was far from possible to release him without any security concerns. "Fortunately, the damage was on the side of the car of the Dutchman, who broke his front wing on the rear of the Mercedes.

Is Red Bull losing its shine?

For his part, Christian Horner admits a " human error " However, this is not the first pit lane mishap for the Austrian team since the start of the season. In Bahrain, Max Verstappen and his teammate Yuki tsunoda had lost precious seconds at a standstill, due to a malfunction of the traffic lights, which remained stuck on red.

Red Bull has been making increasing blunders since the end of its dominance in Miami in 2024. Previously, the energy drink stable was known for its performance in the pits: rapid execution, pinpoint strategy. In short, Red Bull was clinical. An excellence that seems to be slowly fading, while the competition continues to advance.

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