Kimi Antonelli Crashes into the Wall in Baku: “I’m sorry, guys. Oh my God”

Kimi Antonelli qualified for Q2, but he won’t have the chance to participate in it. The Mercedes driver made his first mistake of the season at the most critical moment of qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, crashing into the barriers and ending his session prematurely. The championship leader will be forced to start from 16th position.

Antonelli lost his left front tire when he hit the wall, leaving the Mercedes on the side of the track. His qualifying session was over. Shortly afterward, an apology came over the team radio: “I’m sorry, guys. Oh my God.”

Antonelli remained motionless on the side of the track, his helmet still on, staring blankly into space. An image that speaks to the disappointment over a mistake that came after a flawless first half of the season.

His starting position will be anything but easy, and tomorrow he’ll need to stage a major comeback. Another feat like the one at Monza would be necessary to turn a difficult qualifying session into a positive result. The first goal, however, will be more practical: to limit the damage and try to move up as many positions as possible.

Here are the final standings for Q3:

1 George Russell (Mercedes) 1:42.526
2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) +0.837
3 Oscar Piastri (McLaren) +0.838
4 Isack Hadjar (Red Bull Racing) +0.974
5 Lando Norris (McLaren) +1.146
6 Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) +1.332
7 Pierre Gasly (Alpine) +1.521
8 Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) +1.555
9 Carlos Sainz (Williams) +2.040
10 Franco Colapinto (Alpine) +2.437