Antonelli crashes in Baku qualifying as Russell takes pole by 0.837 seconds

Kimi Antonelli will start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 16th after crashing in the opening part of qualifying, while Mercedes team-mate George Russell claimed pole position. According to BBC Sport's Andrew Benson, the championship leader hit the wall in Baku and damaged his suspension, giving his closest title rival an opportunity to reduce an 81-point deficit in Saturday's race.

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Antonelli accepted responsibility for the incident, explaining that he had misjudged how much the grip had changed between his first and second laps. The 20-year-old Italian described the mistake as unnecessary and said it was a reminder that he needed to maintain his focus. His opening qualifying lap had been 0.092 seconds faster than Russell's before the collision ended his session.

The setback followed a disrupted preparation for Antonelli, whose Mercedes developed a hydraulic leak halfway through Thursday's first practice session. Repairs kept him out until midway through the second session, costing him track time. He finished Friday's final practice 0.252 seconds behind Russell, then briefly put himself ahead of his team-mate in qualifying before hitting trouble on his next lap.

Russell secured pole with a margin of 0.837 seconds over Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, with McLaren's Oscar Piastri third. Despite the gap between the Mercedes drivers on the grid, Russell cautioned against discounting Antonelli. He pointed to the Italian Grand Prix, where Antonelli won after a penalty left him starting 19th. Russell also characterised the Baku crash as his team-mate's first significant error in a qualifying session or race this season.

Red Bull's Max Verstappen qualified eighth despite setting the fastest time in final practice. Verstappen said his engine was costing him half a second on the straight compared with his team-mate from the first qualifying segment. He also reported that his battery had not fully charged for a lap in the final segment, forcing him to abandon the attempt and leaving his tyres cooler.

Verstappen said a yellow flag caused by Lando Norris further affected his qualifying effort. He did not believe pole had been within reach against Russell's lap, but felt a front-row place should have been achievable without the problems. Russell nevertheless identified Verstappen as a potential threat in the race, leaving two drivers he highlighted as challengers starting well behind him.