Kimi Antonelli expressed his frustration after an unnecessary crash in Q1 qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, forcing him to start the race from 16th. The Mercedes driver called the incident a misjudgement that he should have avoided.
The incident occurred when Antonelli clipped the inside wall at Turn 1 left-hander while starting his second flying lap. The terminal suspension damage forced him to park his W17 and miss the rest of the session. His first lap had already secured him a spot in Q2, but now he faces a comeback race on the streets of Baku.
To add insult to injury, his Mercedes teammate George Russell dominated the field 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.”
With a headwind stronger than on his previous lap, the front of the car turned more than expected, causing him to hit the wall. “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,” he added.
Antonelli also admitted he wasn't at 100% throughout the weekend after losing significant track time in practice due to a hydraulic issue. “George has been doing an incredible job this weekend,” Antonelli said. “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 back, he drove a spectacular comeback to win the Italian GP at Monza. However, he cautioned that repeating such a feat in Baku would be much harder as the 6km street circuit offers overtaking potential on its long straight but is still more difficult to pass than Monza. “A good start, stay out of trouble, and then try to set a really good pace. 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,” he concluded.
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