Kimi Antonelli 'very mad' about Azerbaijan GP qualifying crash as George Russell refuses to discount team-mate from battle for win

World championship leader Kimi Antonelli said he was "very mad" about making an "unnecessary" qualifying error that left him starting the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from 16th on the grid. <p>The 81-point lead established by Antonelli at the top of the standings with nine races remaining has put him in a position where merely solid results will see the Italian to a maiden title.</p><p>For that reason, along with the imperious form he has shown throughout the season so far, it came as a major surprise when Antonelli clipped the wall at the first corner during Q1 in Baku, especially given Mercedes were showing strong pace that should have enabled him to cruise through to Q3 at a canter.</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12433/13588823/azerbaijan-gp-2026-saturday-race-dates-schedule-baku-weather-uk-start-time-and-how-to-watch-or-stream-f1-live-on-sky-sports"><strong>Azerbaijan GP schedule: Why is the race on Saturday?</strong></a></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/standings">F1 2026 standings</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/schedule-results">F1 2026 calendar</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/live-blog/12433/12466779/f1-news-rumours-and-gossip-formula-1-latest-updates-on-teams-driver-transfer-market-and-contracts">F1 Gossip Column</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/ContentPromo" target="_blank"><strong>Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video…