Antonelli expresses frustration after crashing out in Q1 in Baku
Andrea Kimi Antonelli has expressed significant frustration with his own performance after a qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that saw him crash out in the opening segment.
The championship leader suffered the accident when he hit the wall at the inside of turn one during Q1. Despite an attempt to drive the car back to the pits, race engineer Peter Bonnington advised the driver to stop, citing that the suspension damage was too extensive to be repaired during the session.
A Mistake Born of Rapid Track Evolution
Speaking after the session, Antonelli attributed the error to the rapidly changing conditions on the Baku City Circuit. He noted that the grip levels were increasing significantly with every passing lap, making it difficult to judge the limit.
âThe grip was coming up very quickly lap-by-lap,â Antonelli told Sky. âObviously I turned in and suddenly I had a lot more front-end compared to the lap before and I touched the wall. So it was mistake from my side. Very unnecessary, to be fair. Iâm very mad about it and weâll try to do better tomorrow.â
The qualifying setback follows a difficult practice period for the young driver, who missed a significant portion of both the first and second practice sessions due to a hydraulic issue. For more context on the weekend's technical challenges, see our guide on 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: all you need to know.
Team Contrast: Russell Takes Pole
While Antonelli faces an uphill battle, his team secured an excellent result through his teammate. Despite the struggles, Antonelli maintained that the car itself showed great potential.
âThe car has been very strong this weekend, so George has been doing incredibly well,â Antonelli added, referring to George Russell, who claimed pole position for the race.
Antonelli is set to start tomorrowâs race from 16th on the grid, but he remains optimistic about a recovery. âWeâll try our best tomorrow to recover as many places as possible,â he concluded.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.