'I'm very mad about it' - Antonelli admits to 'unnecessary mistake'

Kimi Antonelli crashed in the first part of qualifying in Azerbaijan, leaving him 16th on the grid; George Russell exhibited Mercedes' strong pace by taking pole; watch the Azerbaijan GP on Saturday at 12pm with build-up from 10.30am, live on Sky Sports F1 and Main Event

Friday 25 September 2026 17:01, UK

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Kimi Antonelli hits the wall during qualifying at the Azerbaijan GP

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli said he was "very mad" about making an "unnecessary" qualifying error that left him starting the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 16th on the grid.

The 91-point lead established by Antonelli at the top of the standings with nine races remaining has put him in a position where merely solid results will see the Italian to a maiden title.

For that reason, along with the imperious form he has shown throughout the season so far, it came as a major surprise when Antonelli clipped the wall at the first corner during Q1 in Baku, especially given Mercedes were showing strong pace that should have enabled him to cruise through to Q3 at a canter.

The Silver Arrows' strength at the circuit was evidenced in Antonelli's team-mate - and nearest title challenger - George Russell beating Ferrari's Charles Leclerc to pole by more than eight tenths of a second.

Mercedes' Antonelli was left frustrated after an 'unnecessary' crash which ended his qualifying early at the Azerbaijan GP

Asked whether he had been caught out by there being more grip than he expected at the first corner, Antonelli told Sky Sports F1: "Yeah, for sure. The grip was coming up very quickly lap by lap.

"Suddenly I turned in and had a lot more front end compared to the lap before and I touched the wall.

"So, mistake from my side. Very unnecessary. To be fair, I'm very mad about it and will try to do better tomorrow."

'An incredible mistake' from 'the Kimi of old'

Former world champion Jacques Villeneuve described the incident as "an incredible mistake".

"It's not an inch, it's a lot," Sky Sports F1's Villeneuve said. "An incredible mistake and he does it on a weekend where his team-mate is in a league of his own.

"Not the best of time for that, but with the current rules they facilitate getting back through the field."

Highlights from qualifying for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Three-time W series champion Jamie Chadwick said the crash reminded her of "Kimi of old", a reference to the 20-year-old's inconsistent debut campaign in F1, which raised major doubts over whether he could live up to his billing as a generational talent.

Sky Sports F1's Chadwick said: "I say it's uncharacteristic, it's kind of the way we see Kimi drive a lot of the time is that there's one gear. It's all in. It's all everything.

"Last year we saw that come with mistakes and crashes, this year we have not really seen that of him. It has felt a bit like Kimi of old in a way and it was like that one gear and he just didn't really need to do it.

"That said, it is easy to make mistakes like that, we know that at a track like this. But you are in a Mercedes that was clearly in a league of his own at this track, first lap of Q1, you didn't need to take that much risk.

"It just caught him out, the grip that he clearly had at Turn One. He turned in, you go into qualifying and the car is always a bit more alive I guess than it would have been for him in FP3 and it has caught him out."

Russell 'can't discount' Antonelli from battle for win

Saturday's race comes just three weeks on from Antonelli's stunning victory at the Italian Grand Prix, which saw him come from 19th on the grid to win his home race.

Russell, who started second in Monza and led before being overhauled by Antonelli, is wary of the threat his team-mate could pose from towards the back of the grid in Baku.

"Obviously, you can't discount Kimi," Russell said. "He started 19th in Monza and now he's in 16th, so he should be leading by a few laps earlier this time."

Russell was asked whether he thought Antonelli was experiencing "jitters" as he nears a fist title, but pointed out that even in championship-winning campaigns, drivers tend to make mistakes.

Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok is joined by George Russell to watch back his pole-setting lap for the Azerbaijan GP

The Brit preferred to focus on his own strong performance so far in Baku, which had seen him appear to have an edge over Antonelli even before the Q1 crash.

"I can't recall many mistakes he's made this season," Russell said. "The performance our side today was great, but he's been flawless this whole season.

"When you look at every championship campaign, even for the winners, there are mistakes along the way.

"I still keep on believing and keep on fighting until it isn't possible anymore, but I don't feel any pressure. I feel excitement every time I jump in the car now, purely because I feel more confident in myself.

"When that confidence starts to build, it's just like this upward cycle. And on the flip side, when you're on the back foot, you start losing that confidence, and then you start pushing the limits more, and that's when mistakes happen.

"But as I said, he's been flawless this season. It's the first mistake he's made in a qualifying or race this whole year, so let's see tomorrow."

Could Antonelli repeat Monza heroics?

Chadwick thinks Antonelli will face a greater challenge coming through the field than he did in Monza, and has warned against following in the footsteps of McLaren's Oscar Piastri, whose crash in Azerbaijan last year contributed to the Australian missing out on the championship from a leading position.

On Antonelli's prospects of a fightback, Chadwick said: "If he is on a level with George in terms of that pace margin, then of course. If you've got eight tenths on the field you can slice through but, actually, it looks quite challenging.

Watch how Antonelli converted 19th to first to take a sensational victory at the Italian Grand Prix

"In Monza he made a lot of the positions up quite early on but there was the red flag, which meant he could go again, the Virtual Safety Car. Here I reckon we're going to have a lot of interruptions, a lot of yellows, a lot of Safety Cars potentially and all of that can make it more challenging for him.

"It depends where he is as well with his confidence. If he can draw a line under today, wipe it afresh, come back tomorrow and bounce back then that's all that matters.

"But he doesn't need to take a lot of risk, just a handful of points tomorrow.

"If you look at Oscar last year, he didn't need to take the risk he did, he just needed to get a handful of points, and he still would have had a decent weekend.

"Kimi needs to go out tomorrow and score as many points as he can but this weekend, he probably needs to accept it's going to be George's."

Sky Sports F1's Azerbaijan GP live schedule

Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place around the Baku City Circuit

Saturday September 267.55am: F2 Feature Race 210.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up*12PM: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX*2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction*3pm: Ted's Notebook*

*also live on Sky Sports Main Event

Racing on a Saturday! The 2026 Formula 1 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off a triple-header of races, with the Baku race taking place on Saturday at 12pm (build-up from 10.30am). Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime

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