Kimi Antonelli angry after Baku crash: “I need to do a much better job”

Kimi Antonelli said he was angry with himself after his qualifying crash in Baku, saying he needs to “do a much better job”. The F1 championship leader will start 16th on Saturday after an unforced error in Q1.

At the start of his second flying lap, the Italian clipped the inside wall in the left-hander at Turn 1. His Mercedes W17 suffered terminal suspension damage, forcing him to stop the car. His first lap had already secured a place in Q2, but he was unable to take part.

“It was just a misjudgement, with the grip changing so much,” Antonelli explained. He pointed to a stronger headwind than on the previous lap: the front of the car had more grip, and after turning in at roughly the same point, he hit the wall.

The 20-year-old also acknowledged that he was not “100% there” after losing a large part of Thursday practice to a hydraulic issue. He praised the performance of team-mate George Russell, whom he felt would have been hard to beat: “George has been doing an incredible job this weekend. He has been feeling very good with the car, so for sure he has made the difference. I have to be honest with that, but also the car has been very, very quick.”

Antonelli described his Q1 error as “unnecessary”, seeing it as a reminder: “Like this, things don’t go my way, so I need to do a much better job.” His plan for Saturday is clear: “A good start, stay out of trouble, and then try to set a really good pace.” He added that he has “nothing to lose” and wants to deliver the best race he can, believing that experience teaches a driver how to move forward. Despite a difficult weekend so far, he believes a good race remains possible.

Reports indicate that Mercedes was the class of the field in Baku, with Russell taking pole by eight tenths. Antonelli therefore likely cost himself a front-row start.

The last time Antonelli started from the back of the grid, he produced a spectacular comeback victory at Monza on home soil. But he warned that repeating that feat would be far more difficult in Baku: while the 6km street circuit offers overtaking opportunities through its long straight, overtaking is harder there than at Monza. “I still believe we can do a good race,” he said.