Kimi Antonelli’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend has got off to a worrying start after the championship leader was forced to stop on track during the opening practice session in Baku.
The Mercedes driver was only 25 minutes into FP1 when his session came to an abrupt end. Antonelli had completed just nine laps before his W17 appeared to suffer a serious mechanical problem while he was exiting Turn 6.
The Italian’s Mercedes suddenly began losing pace before eventually coming to a complete stop away from the racing line. Marshals immediately rushed toward the stranded car after what appeared to be a suspected fire, adding to the dramatic scenes during the early stages of the session.
Antonelli was unable to continue and was forced to watch from the sidelines as Mercedes began assessing the damage. The team now faces a race against time to repair the car and have it ready for FP2.
Initial reports indicate that the problem may have been caused by a hydraulic failure. However, Mercedes is yet to establish the full extent of the mechanical issue, including whether the failure has caused any damage to Antonelli’s power unit.
For the 20-year-old Italian, the timing of the problem will provide some relief. A failure during practice is undoubtedly preferable to suffering the same issue during qualifying or Sunday’s race, but it still represents an unwanted setback for a driver arriving in Azerbaijan under intense championship pressure.
Reliability has been a recurring concern for Mercedes throughout the season, with Antonelli particularly affected by mechanical problems at crucial moments. The young driver has already lost valuable points during the campaign because of reliability-related setbacks, making Friday’s failure another frustrating development.
Despite the latest setback, Antonelli remains firmly in control of the championship standings. He currently holds an 81-point advantage over his Mercedes teammate George Russell, giving him some breathing room heading into the Azerbaijan weekend.
However, with the championship battle entering a crucial stage, Mercedes will be desperate to understand exactly what went wrong in FP1. The team must ensure the problem is fully resolved before Antonelli returns to the track.
With Baku’s demanding street circuit offering little margin for error, Antonelli will be hoping Mercedes can turn the early setback into a minor scare rather than allowing it to develop into another costly reliability problem.
