Kimi Antonelli endured a difficult start to his 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend after his Mercedes W17 suffered a problem and began smoking during the early stages of first practice at the Baku City Circuit.
The incident occurred around 25 minutes into the session. Antonelli was at the top of the timing sheets with a lap of 1:46.265 when he was forced to pull off the circuit at Turn 7 after smoke emerged from the rear of his Mercedes.
Antonelli reported a hydraulic problem over team radio before exiting the car and calling for a marshal to inspect it. Smoke continued to emerge from the sidepod vents as the Mercedes was pushed further into the run-off area.
Antonelli then inspected the rear of his car, after which a marshal sprayed extinguisher fluid into the affected area. Some of the fluid bounced off the bodywork and hit the young Italian driver.
The incident left Mercedes with a clean-up operation to complete before the next session. Antonelli's track time was also restricted after he lost the car that had initially put him at the top of the timing order.
The failure represents an early setback for Antonelli, who arrived in Baku leading the drivers' championship by 81 points. Mercedes will therefore need to establish the cause of the problem and ensure the W17 is ready for the next session.
For Antonelli, the immediate priority will be returning to the circuit and recovering the track time lost during the opening practice session. The early failure has given Mercedes additional work to complete before the remainder of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
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