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Kimi Antonelli insists the Formula 1 title race is “not over” as he takes a vast 81-point lead into this week’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
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It looks as good as over, but Baku has sprung surprises before.
A year ago, that was where Oscar Piastri’s title shot began to fall apart. The Australian was leading the standings when he almost stalled on the grid, dropped to last and crashed, all in the space of about a minute on the opening lap.
That kicked off a run of six races without a podium finish for Piastri, who had to watch the title race become a fight between eventual champion Lando Norris and Max Verstappen.
Antonelli is sounding cautious as he aims to become F1’s youngest-ever champion.
“Until you cross that finish line, it’s not over. It’s like tennis, one point at a time, here one race at a time,” he said. “The sooner it’s over, the better it is. Still a long way and it’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be intense but I’m ready to give my best and to keep having fun.”
There are key differences this year. For one thing, Antonelli’s lead is more than double the biggest advantage Piastri had last year. He’s coming off back-to-back wins, not the team orders controversy which was dogging Piastri and Norris a year ago.
As for Piastri, he says it’s “love-hate in some ways” as he returns to a venue where he won in 2024 and endured a nightmare 2025.
“I think probably my best race ever has been at this track and probably my worst race ever has been at this track, so always eventful,” Piastri said.
Antonelli’s title rivals need to bounce back
The three British drivers behind Antonelli are all trying to recover from disappointing races at the Spanish Grand Prix two weeks ago.
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Antonelli’s teammate George Russell all but ruled himself out of the title race after an uncompetitive run to fifth in Madrid, while Lando Norris was left ruing a badly-timed virtual safety car which cost him the win. Lewis Hamilton retired, making it five races off the podium for the Ferrari driver.
“I’m going to keep fighting every single race until it’s mathematically impossible, but it doesn’t change how I go about my job,” Russell said Wednesday. “There’s obviously a huge deficit, but it’s not even really a consideration right now.”
Red Bull’s double bet on Isack Hadjar
Red Bull is backing Isack Hadjar’s health and his potential in the hope the young French driver develops into one of F1’s top talents.
Hadjar returns for Baku despite saying he still feels pain from the wrist fracture which ruled him out of the last three races. And he has a contract extension to partner Max Verstappen for 2027, too.
Wrist injuries can have long-term consequences. Lance Stroll rushed back from wrist fractures sustained in a preseason cycling crash in 2023 but ended up missing a race after all in 2025 when he needed a follow-up operation to deal with lingering pain.
A rare Saturday race amid broader F1 schedule uncertainty
It’s an unusual race week in a very unusual F1 season, as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is held on a Saturday to make way for a national day of remembrance on Sunday. That means Thursday practice and Friday qualifying.
This starts a run of three races in three weeks because of the extra round next week in Malaysia, still carrying branding of the called-off Bahrain Grand Prix.
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