Andrea Kimi Antonelli has described the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as his ‘worst weekend by far’ of the current Formula 1 season. The Mercedes driver finished fifth in Saturday’s race at the Baku City Circuit, recovering from a challenging qualifying session.
Antonelli’s performance saw his championship lead over teammate George Russell reduced from 81 points to 66 points. Russell secured victory in Baku, marking his third win of the season.
The Italian’s difficult weekend began with a technical problem during Thursday’s practice session, which limited his track time. This was followed by a crash at Turn 1 during Q1, ending his qualifying early.
The incident left Antonelli starting the race from 16th position on the grid. Russell, conversely, went on to claim pole position for Mercedes.
During the race, Antonelli gained 11 positions to finish fifth. He stated that he felt ‘always a step behind’ and that his confidence levels were not high following the qualifying mistake.
Further complicating his race, Antonelli sustained significant floor damage to his Mercedes after contact with Haas driver Oliver Bearman during a Safety Car restart. He adopted a ‘safety-first’ approach to limit points loss.
Antonelli currently leads the Drivers’ Championship with 302 points. Russell sits in second place with 236 points following his Azerbaijan Grand Prix win.
Lewis Hamilton, driving for Ferrari, holds third position in the standings with 199 points. Lando Norris of McLaren is fourth with 186 points.
Antonelli reflected on the weekend, stating it taught him valuable lessons about his driving and overall approach. He aims to regain his form at the next event.
The Formula 1 season continues with the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, scheduled for October 2-4.
