Antonelli says he drove 'like my grandmother' in 'sketchy' Azerbaijan GP

The championship leader recovered from P16 to a top five finish after his crash in qualifying left him facing an uphill challenge during the race. Antonelli was not helped by contact with Oliver Bearman's Haas, which caused him to suffer damage to his floor.

Ultimately, Antonelli saw his championship lead narrowed to 66 points after teammate George Russell's victory. Speaking after the race to the media including GPblog, Antonelli said he had been forced to take a far more cautious approach after the damage, prioritising bringing the car home rather than taking risks in wheel-to-wheel battles.

“I was driving a bit like my grandmother today. Just damage safe mode. You know? Just didn’t take any risk,” Antonelli said.

The Italian said the damage made his Mercedes “very sketchy” to drive, hampering his bid to climb further through the field.

“After that, the car was very sketchy to drive and I still tried to get to P4, but all in all, it’s one of those days where you have to be happy with P5,” Antonelli added.

Antonelli likely would have finished fourth if the race lasted one lap longer, as he finished less than a second behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc. Russell meanwhile relished an epic battle with Max Verstappen, finishing less than two tenths of a second ahead of the Dutchman to obtain victory and keep his championship hopes against Antonelli alive.