Jacques Villeneuve slams and puts Kimi Antonelli in his place: “It’s not a mistake”

Kimi Antonelli found himself in Jacques Villeneuve’s crosshairs after the crash in Q1 during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Italian Mercedes driver lost control of his car, hitting the inside wall at Turn 1 and damaging the left front suspension. The 1997 world champion was particularly harsh in his assessment of the mistake during an interview with Sky Sports F1.

“It’s not a matter of centimeters; it’s not just a mistake—it’s a huge mistake,” Villeneuve commented, before adding: “An unbelievable mistake, made on a weekend when his teammate is on another planet.”

The reference is to George Russell, who had a very successful weekend in Baku. Villeneuve then added: “It’s certainly not the ideal time for something like this, even though the current rules make it easier to fight your way through the field.”

The mistake in qualifying, however, did not compromise Antonelli’s final result. The Mercedes driver managed to make up ground during the race, finishing fifth in the Grand Prix won by Russell himself.