Kimi Antonelli encountered difficulties during the free practice sessions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, suffering a hydraulic problem that cut short his first session (FP1) and an engine change following a fire that deprived him of the first half of the second session (FP2).
Despite these setbacks, the Italian driver for Mercedes managed to finish 5th in FP1 and 2nd in FP2, just behind his teammate George Russell, who dominated both sessions. Antonelli thus maintains a strong position ahead of qualifying, despite a significant lack of running on this street circuit.
Russell set the fastest time in FP2 with a 1m43.347s lap, beating Antonelli by more than half a second and Max Verstappen by three-tenths. Mercedes appears solid in Baku, but the team’s deputy director, Bradley Lord, notes that gaps are expected to narrow after qualifying, especially given the significant upgrades brought by McLaren and Red Bull.
Antonelli, championship leader with an 81-point advantage following his victory in Madrid, remains confident despite upcoming adjustments: “We did the maximum with what we had. There are still areas to improve, but I feel good in the car and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”