Kimi Antonelli says Azerbaijan “taught me a lot” after worst weekend and P5 finish

By Vancouver Television Sports Desk

Kimi Antonelli said the Azerbaijan Grand Prix “taught me a lot” after a difficult weekend at the Baku City Circuit that he described as “the worst weekend of the season.” His start to the event was hampered by technical problems in practice, and during Qualifying he crashed out in the opening phase, dropping him to 16th on the grid with his Mercedes teammate George Russell on pole.

Despite the grid setback, Antonelli finished the race in fifth, framing the result as damage limitation. He said: “I think it’s one of those days where you have to be happy with P5,” adding that he felt he was “always a step behind” and that, after the Qualifying error, his confidence level was “not high.” He also pointed to damage after contact involving Haas driver Ollie Bearman at the Safety Car restart, saying he was “carrying big damage, big floor damage.”

Russell converted pole position into victory from start to finish, and that result cut Antonelli’s championship lead from 81 points to 66. With F1 entering a busy stretch, the series moves next to Malaysia and then Singapore, and Antonelli expressed a hope that Azerbaijan is only “a blip in the road,” saying he will work to “get back at the right level” next weekend.