Antonelli 'comes back to earth' with qualifying crash

Kimi Antonelli, the runaway Formula One championship leader, faced a significant setback at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying session when he crashed into the wall during the opening phase, bringing him out of the race. The 20-year-old Italian driver, who currently leads Mercedes teammate George Russell by 81 points in the overall standings after 14 rounds, damaged his car's suspension upon impact.

In an interview with F1TV, Antonelli referred to the incident as a "stupid" mistake, attributing it to his misjudgment of the car's grip. He emphasized that such blunders are an opportunity to remind himself of the importance of maintaining focus throughout the race. The crash occurred after Antonelli had been struggling with a hydraulics issue during the opening practice session, limiting his track time.

While trailing Russell, who appeared more at ease on the 6km Baku street circuit, Antonelli expressed optimism about tomorrow's race, noting that the Mercedes is quick and he aims to recover many positions. He concluded, "Hopefully, tomorrow is going to be a good race."