Antonelli calls himself ‘stupid’ after Baku qualifying crash

Kimi Antonelli has been brought “back down to earth” by his qualifying crash at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver, who has been comfortably leading the championship this season, hit a wall in the first part of the Baku session and will start Saturday’s race from 16th. His team-mate George Russell, his closest title rival, took pole with a dominant display.

The 20-year-old Italian called his error “stupid” and a necessary reminder as he pursues his first world title. “I misjudged the grip, which was very different from the first lap. I hit the wall. It was an unnecessary mistake, very early in the session,” he said. “It is a good way to come back down to earth and remind myself that I have to be on top of things every time, otherwise I make these kinds of mistakes, and this one was really stupid.” He also said he was “very angry” with himself.

Antonelli had already been on the back foot throughout the weekend after losing time in Thursday practice because of a reliability issue. A hydraulic leak affected his Mercedes midway through the first session, and the car was not ready to return to the track until midway through the second.

Russell, however, refused to rule out his team-mate. He recalled Antonelli’s recovery at the Italian Grand Prix, which he won after starting 19th following a penalty. “You can’t discount Kimi. He started 19th at Monza and now he is 16th, so he should be a few laps ahead at the start this time,” the Briton said.

According to Russell, this was Antonelli’s first significant mistake in a competitive session all year. Asked whether it could reflect title nerves, he stressed that even champions make mistakes during their campaigns. “He has been flawless this season. It is the first mistake he has made in qualifying or a race all year,” he said.

Russell, who trails Antonelli by 81 points in the championship, has therefore been handed a second chance in three races to cut the gap. He says he continues to believe and fight while it remains possible, without feeling pressure. Instead, he says he feels excitement when getting into the car because of growing confidence. In his view, confidence creates a positive cycle, while a driver who is on the back foot can lose that confidence, push the limits harder and ultimately make mistakes.

Russell beat Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, second, and Oscar Piastri, third, by 0.837 seconds on pole. Baku’s street circuit, with its long straight that offers overtaking opportunities and its reputation for incident-filled races, nevertheless leaves possibilities open for the race.

Antonelli was 0.252 seconds behind Russell in final practice on Friday. He was then 0.092 seconds quicker than the Briton after his first flying lap in qualifying before making his mistake on the second attempt. His crash recalls the one at Baku last year, at a Grand Prix that proved a turning point in the 2025 championship: Oscar Piastri, then on course for a first world title with a 31-point lead over Lando Norris, crashed in qualifying, jumped the start and then retired after another crash on the opening lap. His season subsequently came off the rails.

Russell is also expecting a threat from Max Verstappen, who qualified eighth after a difficult session. The Dutchman, quickest in final practice just ahead of Russell, said his entire qualifying “was not as it should have been”. He said that from the first phase, his engine was already 0.5 seconds slower on the straights than that of his team-mate, with no explanation yet identified by the team.

Verstappen also said his battery did not charge to 100% on his middle lap in the final phase, forcing him to abandon the attempt. He explained that he then lost tyre temperature, a particularly costly handicap in Baku. Despite pushing, he was also hindered by his lack of top speed and a yellow flag caused ahead of him by Lando. “We ran really well all weekend, then we ran into so many problems in qualifying. It is not good enough,” he said, adding that his team needed to be more robust and better on top of such issues.