Jamie Chadwick references 'Kimi Antonelli of the past' following a misstep in Baku qualifying.

Sky Sports Formula 1 analyst Jamie Chadwick has suggested that Kimi Antonelli's incident during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix reflected a return to previous tendencies, deeming his Q1 crash an unnecessary gamble considering the speed of the Mercedes.

Antonelli, who currently holds an 81-point lead in the drivers' championship over his teammate George Russell, ended his qualifying prematurely after making contact with the wall on the challenging streets of the Baku City Circuit.

The damage to the front-left of his car resulted in the conclusion of his qualifying session as his teammate and main title contender went on to clinch pole position.

"I would say it's atypical. The way we often see Kimi drive is with full commitment. It's all or nothing," Chadwick remarked during the Sky Sports broadcast.

"Last season, we witnessed mistakes and crashes from him, but this year, we haven't really seen that. So it felt somewhat reminiscent of the old Kimi, pushing hard when it wasn't necessary."

"That being said, it's easy to make such errors at a track like this. However, in a Mercedes that was evidently in a class of its own here, going for that level of risk on the first lap of Q1 was unwarranted."

"He was caught off guard by the grip he clearly had at Turn 1. When you enter qualifying, the car tends to feel more responsive than it did during FP3, and that seemed to catch him out. He will face the consequences, but I believe he can recover in the race tomorrow."

Antonelli will begin the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from the 16th position on the grid. Despite this setback, 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve expressed confidence in the Italian driver's ability to navigate his way back through the pack.

"It's not just a minor error, it's significant. A remarkable blunder, especially on a weekend when his teammate is clearly outperforming," the Canadian noted on Sky Sports F1.

"So, not the ideal timing for that mistake, but the current regulations allow for opportunities to recover positions."

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