Formula 1 world championship leader Kimi Antonelli says he needs to “do a much better job” after an “unnecessary” qualifying crash in Baku left him 16th on the grid.
Antonelli made an unforced error in Q1 when he tagged the inside wall in Turn 1 left-hander to start his second flying lap, sustaining terminal suspension damage that forced him to park his Mercedes W17.
Antonelli’s first lap had already qualified him for Q2, but with the Italian unable to take part, he is facing a comeback in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday from 16th on the grid.
To add insult to injury, Mercedes proved the class of the field in Baku as team-mate George Russell demolished the competition to take pole by eight tenths, meaning Antonelli likely cost himself a front-row start.
“It was just a misjudgement with the grip changing so much,” Antonelli explained. “An unnecessary one in Q1, and it’s a very good reminder that like this, things don’t go my way, so I need to do a much better job.
“I had a lot more headwind compared to the lap before, so the front just was much stronger, and I turned in roughly in the same spot, but obviously the car turned more and I clipped the wall.”
Photo by: Michael Potts / LAT images via Getty Images
With Antonelli missing a large chunk of Thursday practice due to a hydraulic issue, the 20-year-old had already been on the back foot all weekend, so he acknowledged he “wasn’t 100% there” and Russell would have been tough to beat.
“George has been doing an incredible job this weekend,” Antonelli admitted. “He’s been feeling very good with the car, so for sure he has made the difference. I have to be honest with that, but also the car has been very, very quick.”
The last time Antonelli started from the rear of the grid, the Italian put in a drive for the ages with a spectacular comeback to win the Italian GP in Monza.
But while Baku’s 6km street circuit also offers overtaking potential on its long straight, Antonelli cautioned a Monza repeat would be much more difficult to pull off.
“A good start, stay out of trouble, and then try to set a really good pace,” Antonelli summed up his Saturday plans. “Obviously, it’s going to be a bit harder than Monza because it’s a bit harder to overtake here, but I believe we can still do a good race.
“I have nothing to lose, and I just need to do the best race I can. With experience, you learn how to move forward. Of course, this weekend has been a bit off with everything, but tomorrow I think we can do a good race.”
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– The Autosport.com Team
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