2026 Azerbaijan GP: Antonelli crash leaves P16

BBC Sport and Autosport reported Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed in Baku qualifying, leaving the Mercedes driver 16th on the grid.

BBC Sport and Autosport reported that Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed in qualifying for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, leaving the Mercedes driver set to start 16th on the grid. BBC Sport also reported that Mercedes team-mate George Russell took pole position.

The reports said Antonelli hit the wall in Q1 and did not progress, dropping the drivers’ championship leader down the order for Sunday’s start. Antonelli arrived at the weekend first in the 2026 standings on 302 points, and the Italian has 33 Formula 1 entries across 2025 and 2026 with five wins, five poles and 10 podiums.

For Mercedes, the reported setback came on a day when Russell secured pole. Antonelli’s grid position, if unchanged, would leave the championship leader facing recovery work when the Grand Prix begins.