Kimi Antonelli says his crash in qualifying at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was "stupid" and "a good way to come back to earth" as he pursues his first world title. The Mercedes driver, who has been running away with the championship this season, hit a wall in first qualifying in Baku and will start Saturday's race 16th. Team-mate George Russell, his closest pursuer in the title race, starts from pole after a dominant performance.

Antonelli said: "I misjudged with the grip being so different compared to the first lap. I hit the wall. Unnecessary mistake early on." He added that he was "very mad about it". The 20-year-old Italian has been on the back foot all weekend, fighting to make up for time lost to a reliability problem in practice on Thursday.

His error brought back memories of last year's grand prix in Baku, which proved to be a turning point in the 2025 championship. McLaren's Oscar Piastri appeared on course for his first world title heading into this race, but the Australian crashed in qualifying, jumped the start and then crashed out of the race on the first lap. Antonelli's error gives Russell, who is 81 points adrift in the championship, a second chance in three races to narrow his deficit.

Russell said: "You can't discount Kimi. He's been flawless this season. It's the first mistake he's made in a qualifying or race this whole year." The Baku street circuit has a long straight that affords good overtaking possibilities and has a reputation for producing incident-packed races.