Kimi Antonelli’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend has taken another dramatic turn after the 2026 Formula 1 season championship leader crashed into the wall at Turn 1 during qualifying.
The Mercedes driver made heavy contact with the barrier, damaging the front of his car and losing the front-left tire. Antonelli immediately reported the incident over team radio and was unable to continue, ending his qualifying session in Q1.
Eager to get back on the track, the 20-year-old driver said: “Why can’t we fix it?” The Italian’s Mercedes appeared to suffer significant front-end damage from the impact, with his engineer indicating that the track rod or upright may also have been damaged. “That looks like we’ve done something to the track rod or upright, so yeah, that’s a fairly big job.” The 20-year-old then apologized to his team over the radio, “F**k, I’m sorry guys, my fault.”
The crash is a major setback for Antonelli, who arrived in Baku with an 81-point lead over Mercedes teammate George Russell in the drivers’ championship after winning the previous two Grands Prix.
Kimi Antonelli’s Baku Weekend Takes Another Turn
The qualifying crash comes after Antonelli already lost significant track time during Thursday’s opening practice sessions.
Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images
He was forced to stop his Mercedes during the Free Practice 1 (FP1) session with a hydraulic issue, cutting his session short after just three push laps. Mercedes subsequently changed the power unit as a precaution, meaning Antonelli also missed part of FP2. Despite those setbacks, he recovered to finish second in FP2 behind Russell.
Now, Antonelli will have to start Saturday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix from outside the Q2 qualifying field after crashing at the first corner. With the championship leader eliminated so early in qualifying, his title advantage could come under further pressure during Saturday’s race.
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