Kimi Antonelli hits wall as George Russell takes pol for Azerbaijan GP

Kimi Antonelli was left ruing an uncharacteristic error in qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix which eliminated the championship leader in the first session after he hit a wall in Baku. His Mercedes team-mate George Russell claimed pole with a fine lap and will be in a strong position to make up ground in the title chase in Saturday’s race.

Antonelli leads Russell by 81 points in the world championship and has won the last two races but sat disconsolately trackside after only 11 minutes of running on Friday in Baku, when he was a little too eager into the 90-degree left-handed turn one and clipped the barrier.