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Teen Kimi Antonelli Leads After Verstappen’s Start-Line Stall

6/7/2026

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Summary

Story summary

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) led after Max Verstappen (Red Bull) retired following a start-line stall.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) moved into second and third.
Antonelli was 2.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton by lap two, with Leclerc a second further back.
Pirelli supplied C3-C5 soft tyres, expecting one-stop runs with pit windows from laps 29 to 39.

History

Historical Context

At Indianapolis in 2005, Michelin-shod cars found their tyres could not survive Turn 13, forcing 14 entries to withdraw and leaving only six starters. That failure reshaped tyre safety standards, so contemporary grids can host surprise leaders and strategic pit windows without the mass significant pull-outs that crippled the 2005 race.

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Story summary

Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) led after Max Verstappen (Red Bull) retired following a start-line stall.
Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) and Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) moved into second and third.
Antonelli was 2.5 seconds ahead of Hamilton by lap two, with Leclerc a second further back.
Pirelli supplied C3-C5 soft tyres, expecting one-stop runs with pit windows from laps 29 to 39.

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