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Russell Takes Azerbaijan GP Pole After F1 Leader Antonelli Hits the Wall
- On Friday, Sept. 25, 2026, championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli crashed during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, hitting the wall at Turn 1 and sustaining terminal damage to his Mercedes.
- The Italian, who holds an 81-point lead this season, committed his first major error of the title quest by misjudging the opening corner.
- After clipping the wall, Antonelli attempted to limp back to the pits but race engineer Peter Bonnington instructed him to park the stricken machine due to suspension and wheel damage.
- Starting Saturday's race from 16th place, Antonelli now faces a grid disadvantage that allows Mercedes team-mate George Russell to potentially close the championship gap.
- Despite winning eight of 14 rounds this season, this qualifying setback marks the first significant challenge to Antonelli's world championship pursuit.
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140 Articles
Kimi Antonelli starts from far behind at Azerbaijan's Grand Prix, the World Cup leader touched the wall early in qualifying. Max Verstappen also scored a disappointing result.
·Hamburg, Germany
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Coverage Details
Total News Sources140
Leaning Left13Leaning Right15Center30Last UpdatedBias Distribution52% Center
Bias Distribution
- 52% of the sources are Center
52% Center
L 22%
C 52%
R 26%
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