Mercedes driver Andrea Kimi Antonelli secured fourth place at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a solid and consistent performance, though he admitted to feeling disappointed about narrowly missing the podium. Carlos Sainz finished just a few seconds ahead of him, denying the Italian his first top-three finish in Formula 1.
A clean weekend brings a boost of confidence
After weeks of struggles, Antonelli finally found some relief with a clean and mistake-free weekend. The young driver from Bologna delivered a strong race in Baku, showing composure and pace across all 51 laps. His performance was especially impressive in the second stint on hard tires, where his rhythm allowed him to stay close to the podium battle.
Unfortunately, the undercut attempt against Liam Lawson did not work out as planned. The time spent behind the Racing Bulls driver proved costly, leaving Antonelli just short of the result he had been targeting. Despite that, the fourth place represents a positive step forward and an encouraging sign for the Mercedes rookie.
Antonelli: “I was really close to the podium”
“I am a bit disappointed because the podium was really close,” Kimi Antonelli explained after the race in Baku. “On the hard tires I felt really good, much better compared to the mediums. The degradation was minimal and lap after lap I was feeling stronger. It’s a shame I suffered the overcut from George Russell, but I still think I delivered a good performance overall.”
“Honestly, I was hoping to reach the podium because I was almost within DRS range of Carlos Sainz. But then I started to struggle in the dirty air behind his Williams, especially in the second sector. At that point, the tires also began to suffer, which made it more difficult to stay close.”
“Unfortunately, I lost quite a bit of time stuck behind Lawson. I was struggling with traction and couldn’t find the right opportunity to overtake him. That cost me a lot, particularly in the first stint. Without that, maybe the final result would have been different. I’ll try to do better in Singapore.”
Mercedes overtakes Ferrari in the constructors’ standings
Thanks to George Russell’s second place and Antonelli’s strong fourth, Mercedes managed to overtake Ferrari in the Constructors’ Championship. That added significance made Antonelli proud, even though he was disappointed to have missed the podium on a personal level.
“It was a good performance, especially for the team,” he said. “We gained important points in the Constructors’ Championship and now we’ll try to carry this momentum forward to Singapore. The European season was really tough for me, but after all the criticism and difficult moments, I am glad I was able to achieve a strong result here in Baku.”
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