Kimi Antonelli dominates a Formula 1, but something complicates him when maneuvering with a 1,169 HP Mercedes
Kimi Antonelli was maneuvering a Mercedes-AMG GT four-door during a recording prior to the United States GP when he accelerated with the reverse gear selected. The car collided at low speed with a barrier and George Russell took the moment to joke about it.
Kimi Antonelli usually drives Formula 1 single-seaters at over 300 km/h, but a slow maneuver played a trick on him in Austin. During a promotional recording prior to the United States Grand Prix, the Italian driver accelerated thinking the car was in forward gear. It was still in reverse and ended up hitting a wooden barrier.
The incident was captured from inside the vehicle. George Russell, who was next to his teammate, recorded the scene and joked about the selected gear. The car barely moved before the impact, and the damage to the vehicle and the barrier seemed minor.
A maneuvering error before a recording
Antonelli was positioning his Mercedes-AMG GT four-door next to Russell's car. The idea was to record an acceleration with the wheels spinning for the cameras. When pressing the accelerator, however, the vehicle still had reverse gear selected and moved toward the barrier located behind the parking lot.
Russell told him that he needed to select the forward gear to move ahead. Antonelli switched the car to «D» and continued with the recording, which ended with the planned acceleration. The episode did not go beyond that minor bump.
The scene contrasts with the Italian's season in Formula 1, where he has achieved several victories and has become the standout driver for Mercedes. The team confirmed his continuity alongside Russell for 2026, as reported in the information about the Mercedes driver pair.
An electric car with over 1,100 HP
The car Antonelli was driving is the new Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Coupe, a high-performance electric sedan. Its GT 63 version employs three axial flow motors and achieves a maximum power of 860 kW, equivalent to 1,169 HP.
Mercedes also announces 1,999 Nm of peak torque and an acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.1 seconds under the conditions indicated by the brand. The model uses an 800-volt battery inspired by Formula 1 technology and supports charging of up to 600 kW.
In Spain, the four-door GT 63 has a listed price of 206,500 euros, according to published data about the electric Mercedes-AMG GT.
Antonelli is used to managing the power of a competition single-seater, but this time the distraction occurred while maneuvering in a parking lot. The driver and Russell continued with the promotional recording after the collision with the barrier.
* This news is an AI translation of the original content. Motenic.com is part of Motor.es.