Kimi Antonelli’s progress towards the 2026 Formula 1 World Championship hit a setback on Friday when he crashed during the first qualifying session in Azerbaijan. The incident left him starting in 16th place for Saturday’s race.
The mistake gives his Mercedes teammate George Russell a chance to close the gap in the championship standings. Although Russell has stated that his title hopes are slim, a win in Baku would boost his reputation.
Antonelli made an error when he clipped the concrete wall on the apex of Turn 1, damaging his left front suspension. He explained that a change in wind direction gave him more downforce at the front, causing the car to turn in more than expected.
“I had a lot more headwind compared to the lap before, so the front just was much stronger, and I turned in roughly in the same spot,” Antonelli said. “But obviously, the car turned more, and I clipped the wall. It was just a misjudgement, to be fair, with the grip changing so much.”
Assessing the Damage
Antonelli tried to continue driving with the damaged wheel, hoping to return to the pits for repairs. However, his engineer Peter Bonnington told him to park the car due to the extent of the damage.
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Antonelli acknowledged that Russell has had the upper hand at the track. “To be fair, our car has been very strong,” he said. “And George has been doing an incredible job this weekend. Has been feeling very good with the car, so for sure he has made the difference.”
Focus on the Race
Antonelli is now focusing on the race, where he will start from 16th place. He drew inspiration from his career-defining drive to victory at Monza earlier this month, where he started from 19th place.
“Good start, stay out of trouble, and then try to set a really good pace,” Antonelli said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a bit harder than Monza, because it’s a bit harder to overtake here. But I believe we can still do a good race.”
With nothing to lose, Antonelli plans to drive flat out. “To be fair, flat out. I have nothing to lose, and I just need to do the best race I can. And for sure, at the start, I’m going to stay out of trouble. But then after that, it’s head down…” he said, determined to make a comeback. His earlier lap was quick enough to put him in Q2, but he watched the rest of the session from the side of the track, a frustrating end to a challenging qualifying session.
