WHY ANTONELLI AVOIDED A PENALTY THAT SEEMED OBVIOUS

Kimi Antonelli dodged a five-second penalty at Singapore despite four track limits violations because Mercedes successfully challenged one infraction and got it revoked. The rookie collected strikes at Turn 2 twice, Turn 19 once, and Turn 7 during a VSC restart when his brakes went soft. That last one might have been the disputed call, though the sporting regs allow leeway for "justifiable reason."

Antonelli leads the field in track limits deletions this season. Race engineer Peter Bonington hammered him over the radio—"Track limits, track limits, track limits"—and Toto Wolff quipped afterward about putting a hotel pillow under the kid's seat so he can see the apex. The tone suggests Mercedes sees a pattern that needs correcting, even if Antonelli argues he's probing the edge to find it. He's closer to the limit than he was in F2, but overstepping too often. Whether maturity filters it out or it becomes a costly habit will define his first full season in the car.