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Kimi Antonelli Says He Was “Driving Like My Grandmother” at Baku F1 Race
Highlights
- Kimi Antonelli started 16th after qualifying crash in Azerbaijan GP.
- Adopted cautious strategy, progressing to eighth place by lap 31.
- Safety car and major crash helped Antonelli reach fifth place.
- Car damaged by contact with Oliver Bearman but race continued.
- Maintains 66-point lead over George Russell in drivers’ standings.
- Next race is Malaysia, where Antonelli aims to extend lead.
Kimi Antonelli salvages fifth in Baku after starting 16th, using a conservative run and timely safety-car phases to limit damage to his title bid and maintain a 66‑point lead.
A qualifying error, after earlier hydraulic issues in practice, left the Mercedes rookie deep in the pack. He recalibrates his risk profile for Baku’s walls, wind, and punishing traction zones.
His qualifying shunt is unpacked in a separate analysis.
He chips through the midfield and sits eighth by lap 31. A safety car for Alex Albon’s incident compresses gaps, as the Azerbaijan results underline.
The restart triggers heavier drama. Franco Colapinto’s crash eliminates Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly, clearing air ahead and helping Antonelli target Lewis Hamilton’s Ferrari.
He banks fifth by prioritising survival over ambition. He admits to “driving like my grandmother,” a pointed summary of a damage‑limitation run that fits the circuit’s risk profile.
“Driving like my grandmother” — Antonelli prioritises survival to secure P5 from P16.
Oliver Bearman clips the Mercedes after the restart, tearing floor sections from the left side. The resulting aero loss destabilises balance yet Antonelli still pressures for fourth.
Floor damage reduces underbody load and rear stability, particularly through Baku’s heavy braking and traction phases. Tyre management and straightline efficiency both suffer, compounding the competitiveness challenge.
Antonelli finishes P5 despite significant floor damage from contact with Oliver Bearman.
Overtakes prove harder than at Monza, with dense DRS trains and narrow apexes raising jeopardy. Antonelli times moves conservatively, echoing themes from his Baku debrief.
The safety‑car timing and attrition aid progress, but execution still matters. His lap‑time offsets are modest, yet mistakes elsewhere allow him to compress margins to rival strategies, as detailed in the race recap.
Crucially, he limits losses to championship rival George Russell and keeps a 66‑point cushion. The Malaysia round now offers Mercedes a chance to refine balance and extend control.
Antonelli carries a 66‑point lead over George Russell heading to Malaysia.
Visual Summary
Antonelli’s “Grandmother Drive”
from 16th to 5th—Survived Baku Chaos
🚧
Quali Wall: P16 Start
🚗⚠️
Mid-Race Safety Car
💥
Major Crash: Path Clears
💢
Bearman Contact: Car Damaged
🏁
P5 Finish
Points Lead
+66
ahead of Russell
“Drove Like My Grandmother”
Cautious & Calculated
Resilience Wins:
Antonelli keeps his title charge alive
— even with bumps, blows, and “grandma mode!”
Antonelli keeps his title charge alive
— even with bumps, blows, and “grandma mode!”
Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.
