World championship leader Kimi Antonelli says he was driving "like his grandmother" during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to lack of confidence at the Baku City Circuit. Antonelli staged a decent recovery from 16th on the grid after a qualifying crash to finish fifth, but his championship lead over Mercedes team-mate George Russell was reduced to 66 points as Russell claimed victory. The 20-year-old Italian had shown remarkable consistency to build a commanding lead but struggled in Baku after missing significant practice due to technical issues.

Antonelli said he was in "damage save mode," avoiding risks and waiting for opportunities. He dropped a place at the start and took 17 laps to reach the top 10, benefiting from errors by drivers ahead. He survived a near-miss at a rolling restart and continued despite floor damage from contact with Oliver Bearman's Haas.

Antonelli called it his "worst weekend of the year" but remained happy with fifth. He looks ahead to the Bahrain Grand Prix next weekend, hosted by Malaysia amid Middle East conflict. Russell's win, his most complete weekend since Australia, keeps him in contention, though Antonelli remains the title favourite, especially as Russell faces a grid penalty for an engine change.