Russell Takes Azerbaijan GP Pole After F1 Leader Antonelli Hits the Wall
- On Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, hitting the wall at Turn 1 and sustaining terminal damage to his Mercedes.
- The Italian, who holds an 81-point lead this season, committed his first major error of the title quest by misjudging the opening corner.
- After clipping the wall, Antonelli attempted to limp back to the pits but race engineer Peter Bonnington instructed him to park the stricken machine due to suspension and wheel damage.
- Starting Saturday's race from 16th place, Antonelli now faces a grid disadvantage that allows Mercedes team-mate George Russell to potentially close the championship gap.
- Despite winning eight of 14 rounds this season, this qualifying setback marks the first significant challenge to Antonelli's world championship pursuit.
102 Articles
102 Articles
Kimi Antonelli starts from far behind at Azerbaijan's Grand Prix, the World Cup leader touched the wall early in qualifying. Max Verstappen also scored a disappointing result.
Kimi Antonelli crashed into the barrier, ruining his chances of getting into a good position in Azerbaijan.
In the final free practice session before qualifying, Max Verstappen was fastest, George Russell finished second and Lewis Hamilton was third. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli crashed in the first part of qualifying and was unable to continue. In the end, his teammate George Russell was fastest, Charles Leclerc will start from second and Oscar Piastre from third.
The World Cup leader drives against the wall in qualifying in Baku and destroys his car. Nevertheless, he asks his box to leave him on the track.
Russell takes pole for Azerbaijan GP, Antonelli crashes out
Russell dominated Thursday's two practice sessions and, in spite of running second to Max Verstappen in Friday's third practice, defied the strong wind to finish top of the leaderboard in each section of qualifying with a best time at the end of 1 minute 42.526 seconds. Ferrari's Charles Leclerc finished 0.837sec behind and will line up alongside Russell on the front row on Saturday in Baku. "It's been a while, it definitely feels good," said Ru…
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