Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured an impressive fourth place in Azerbaijan qualifying despite wind gusts and two lock-ups slowing him on his crucial lap. Reflecting afterward, the young Italian admitted: “I don’t look at other drivers’ incidents to avoid being influenced.”
Shining among the disappointments
On a day when many top contenders for pole position faltered—including Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Oscar Piastri, and Lando Norris—one rookie truly stood out, needing a performance like this: Andrea Kimi Antonelli.
The Italian Mercedes driver navigated the challenges from Q1 through Q3 successfully, delivering a strong lap at the end of a long Azerbaijan qualifying session, placing his W16 on the second row in fourth, ahead of teammate George Russell.
Progress all weekend
Antonelli’s performance was not a sudden flash of brilliance. From the very first practice session, the 18-year-old from Bologna showed steady growth on Baku’s tight street circuit, culminating in a decisive lap when it mattered most.
“The pace was good throughout the weekend, and the biggest difference compared to previous events was that I was able to have clean sessions and keep improving. For qualifying, I felt quite ready,” Antonelli revealed after the session.
Challenges on the crucial lap
Although his final Q3 lap placed him on the second row, Antonelli detailed the challenges he faced during the decisive moments. Wind gusts and two lock-ups caused minor errors, though they did not affect the overall result significantly.
“Today the conditions were very difficult because of the wind, and it was a bit of a lottery. There were so many gusts that everything became unpredictable,” he said.
“I’m happy but also a little disappointed, because on my last lap a tailwind gust cost me two or three tenths. But the conditions were hard for everyone, and sometimes you can be lucky or unlucky with the wind. I can’t complain, and tomorrow we’ll do our best.”
Lock-ups and learning
“On my lap I had two big risks: one at Turn 2 and one at Turn 7. I locked up completely. But this weekend the goal was to avoid mistakes and build confidence lap after lap while pushing more and more.”
“At one point it even started to rain, and a track like this with all the white lines became really slippery. It’s extremely difficult because if you go just beyond the limit, you go straight into the barriers. There was no margin for error.”
Staying focused despite others’ incidents
Finally, Antonelli shared an interesting insight about the crashes involving several other drivers. The Bolognese admitted he avoids watching incidents so as not to be influenced when pushing to the limit on track.
“I don’t think anyone likes to see someone crash because it can stick in your head. You see how difficult the conditions are and might lose concentration, thinking you have no margin for error. That’s why sometimes I prefer not to watch what happens, because sometimes I go on track and don’t push as much just out of fear of making mistakes. Today was a very difficult day, but I’m happy with how we managed to stay calm and composed.”
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