World champion hopeful Kimi Antonelli confessed he drove in “grandma mode” at Baku, citing shaky confidence on the street circuit.
Starting 16th after a qualifying crash, Antonelli clawed his way to fifth, trimming his lead over teammate George Russell to 66 points as the Brit took the win.
The 20‑year‑old Italian has been remarkably consistent, but missed much practice in Baku due to car troubles, which hampered his pace.
I was basically in damage‑save mode, like my grandmother today, Antonelli admitted. “I only moved when I was sure I could pull it off.”
Fans expected fireworks after his stunning 19th‑to‑first triumph at Monza, yet his Baku performance was far more measured.
If I’d had Monza‑level speed, the story would have changed, he said.
It turned into a full‑on attack scenario, but early on I realized overtaking was tougher with a pack in Overtake Mode, and my pace lagged, so my mindset shifted fast.
He actually lost a spot off the line and needed 17 laps to break into the top ten.
Then he capitalised on rivals’ mistakes, dodged a first‑restart crash that eliminated three cars, and survived contact with Oliver Bearman’s Haas.
After the restart, the left side was shredded – the floor was gone from the impact.
The car felt sketchy, yet I still chased P4; in the end, P5 was all I could be happy with.
Seeing so many errors, I pulled back a bit, simply exploiting others’ slip‑ups to move forward.
‘My worst weekend of the year’
He won’t wait long for his next outing, as the Bahrain GP follows next weekend, staged in Malaysia amid Middle East tensions.
Russell delivered his most complete weekend since Australia, winning a race that would have been dominant without Safety Car interruptions.
Antonelli stays a strong title favourite, especially as Russell faces a grid penalty for an engine swap later in the season. For my money, Antonelli is the driver most likely to clinch the crown.
Thus, the leader’s optimism ahead of Bahrain was hardly surprising.
This weekend was my worst of the year performance‑wise. I felt detached, especially after the early setbacks.