Antonelli makes candid admission about his drive in Azerbaijan

Pulse Sports Team 04:41 - 02 October 2026

Andrea Kimi Antonelli has made an intriguing admission regarding his performance at last week's Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Italian driver crossed the line in fifth place in Baku after starting down in 16th following a crash during qualifying.

Following his qualifying mishap, many anticipated that the championship leader would replicate his heroics from the Italian Grand Prix, where he stormed to victory from 19th on the grid. However, that was not the case in Baku as Antonelli settled for fifth. Speaking ahead of the race weekend in Malaysia, he revealed that he made a deliberate choice to adopt a more measured approach along the streets of the Caspian Sea.

"I don't think the Kimi from 12 months ago would have been capable of that drive in Baku. I think it was one of those weekends and one of those races where you simply have to accept that you cannot drive on the absolute limit. Yes, I drove below it, but that was a completely conscious decision I took after the start. "I didn't feel confident enough to push flat out 100% of the time. I didn't want to keep making mistakes, so I took that conscious decision. It was one of those races where you have to be content with fifth place because, in this situation, it could have been far worse. "I could have easily retired, but it was still a solid drive and brought valuable points that will make a difference come the end of the season. Looking back at the race now, I think it turned out much better than I thought right after the chequered flag. "I don't enjoy driving below the limit. I felt too slow, but the lessons learned in these situations are crucial. You have to come to terms with the result, even if it's not what you wanted or expected. I accepted fifth place, learned more about myself, my mindset, how I react in certain scenarios, and believe me, it was very difficult to decide to just hold back after the start. "Baku was the first time I told myself, 'Look, just take the minimum amount of risk, capitalize on the mistakes of others, and just finish.' Ultimately, it was a very disrupted weekend where things went wrong right from the first practice session. I lost running time in both Thursday practices, and then I crashed in qualifying," Antonelli told reporters in Malaysia.