Top rivals defend Antonelli after mistake

Kimi Antonelli made one of his first major mistakes of the season in Baku qualifying, clipping the wall after turning in too early and leaving the championship leader deep in the field for the Azerbaijan GP.

The Mercedes driver will start P16 - a rare setback in a season that has otherwise been remarkably clean.

Max Verstappen immediately defended the 20-year-old.

"This can happen. Of course it sucks for him," said the quadruple world champion.

"He’s also very young and maybe people forget that sometimes when they talk about him. This is a learning moment and this is part of it."

Verstappen nevertheless warned that Antonelli cannot afford to repeat such errors too often.

"You can’t afford this too often, but with his speed I think that’s all right. He will also be disappointed, but he still has every chance tomorrow to take a lot of points."

Even teammate George Russell was supportive.

"He’s been flawless this whole season," said the polesitter.

"I think when you look at every championship campaign, even for the winners, there are mistakes along the way. It’s the first mistake he’s made in a qualifying or race this whole year."

Lando Norris also believes Antonelli could recover dramatically on Saturday.

"Kimi will probably finish second tomorrow," he told Sky Italia. "Or he could even win."

That confidence partly reflects Antonelli’s charge from P19 to victory at Monza, but also the extraordinary speed Mercedes displayed in Baku.

Russell took pole by 8 tenths, a margin that stunned even him.

"It’s probably the biggest margin in my whole career, even including F2, F3 days," said the Briton.

Charles Leclerc joked that he would need a "hook" to attach himself to Russell’s rear, while Oscar Piastri wondered whether the Mercedes had a "tow bar".

Russell himself expects Verstappen to remain the main race threat.

"I feel Verstappen is going to be a threat," he said. "Obviously, you can’t discount Kimi."

"You know, started 19th in Monza and now he’s in 16th, so, yeah, he should be leading by a few laps early this time," Russell smiled.

Verstappen had been fast throughout the weekend but an engine-related problem cost him heavily on the straights in qualifying.

Red Bull subsequently changed power unit components.

"It’s a big problem," said team boss Laurent Mekies, "because it basically took away any chance Max had of fighting for pole position, and he’s been so fast this weekend so far that it’s very frustrating."

The huge Mercedes advantage also revived questions around Formula 1’s ADUO system, which currently treats Red Bull-Ford as the benchmark power unit.

Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur was openly sceptical when asked how that squares with Russell’s enormous advantage. "I don’t know, ask the FIA. I’ll give you the number if you want."

"It really does seem strange," the Frenchman added.

Verstappen, however, insists Red Bull’s bigger concern remains the car itself rather than the engine restrictions.

"This is a fine step," he said of Red Bull’s Baku upgrade - probably the last major one of 2026.

"If we really want to participate next year, we have to take another big step. I’m talking about the car, the engine, everything."