Kimi Antonelli was left deeply frustrated by his own mistake after crashing out of Q1 at the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, forcing him to start Sunday's race from 16th on the grid. The Mercedes driver described the incident as "unnecessary" and insisted he must perform at a much higher level.
The crash occurred when Antonelli clipped the inside wall at the left-handed Turn 1 on the opening lap of his second flying run. The suspension damage was terminal, forcing him to park his W17. His first lap had already been good enough to progress to Q2, but with the Italian unable to continue, he faced a comeback race from 16th. To add insult to injury, his Mercedes teammate George Russell dominated qualifying to take pole by eight tenths, suggesting Antonelli likely cost himself a front-row start.
"It was just a misjudgement with the grip changing so much," Antonelli explained. "An unnecessary one in Q1, and it's a very good reminder that like this, things don't go my way, so I need to do a much better job. 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, but obviously the car turned more and I clipped the wall."
With Antonelli missing a large chunk of Thursday practice due to a hydraulic issue, the 20-year-old had already been on the back foot all weekend. He acknowledged he "wasn't 100 percent there" and that Russell would have been tough to beat. "George has been doing an incredible job this weekend," Antonelli admitted. "He's 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."
The last time Antonelli started from the rear of the grid, he put in a drive for the ages with a spectacular comeback win on home soil in Monza. But while Baku's 6km street circuit also offers overtaking potential on its long straight, Antonelli cautioned a Monza repeat would be much more difficult to pull off.
"A good start, stay out of trouble, and then try to set a really good pace," Antonelli summed up his Saturday plans. "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. I have nothing to lose, and I just need to do the best race I can. With experience, you learn how to move forward. Of course, this weekend has been a bit off with everything, but tomorrow I think we can do a good race."
Baca Juga
Starting grid F1 Azerbaijan 2026: George Russell pole position, Fernando Alonso dan Lance Stroll dari belakang akibat hukuman power unit. Simak susunan lengkapnya.
Kimi Antonelli frustrasi setelah crash di Q1 F1 Azerbaijan GP, sebut kesalahan tidak perlu. Ia akan start dari posisi 16, sementara Russell raih pole.
Kimi Antonelli sesali crash kualifikasi F1 Azerbaijan 2026 yang membuatnya start ke-16. Pembalap Mercedes itu akui kesalahan dan siap comeback di Baku.
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