Kimi Antonelli: My goal is simply to spend the weekend

      On Thursday in Baku Kimi Antonelli spoke about criticism from the team and hopes for a better end to the season…

      Question: In Monza you qualified alongside George, scored points, and Toto Wolff afterwards called your weekend "not very impressive." How did you react to his comments?

      Kimi Antonelli: I quite understand that comment. Toto and I have always been very open and frank with each other. I think that phrase mainly referred to the race, since qualifying went well, although I was eliminated in the second session. But there were indeed difficulties in the race, especially on the harder tyres.

      Besides, I made a mistake at the start. So I think it referred to the race, and I agree with the comment that it didn't go well. But I take that criticism as motivation to achieve more this weekend.

      Question: What result do you need in Baku for Toto to be satisfied?

      Kimi Antonelli: First of all, we need to run all the sessions cleanly. In Monza I got stuck in the gravel in the second practice and couldn't do a long run to prepare for the race.

      I didn't know how the car would behave with full fuel tanks and started the race almost blind. I didn't feel the car, had to adapt on the fly, and in difficult conditions I simply couldn't find my rhythm. Qualifying was easier.

      Hopefully this weekend everything will go better. The main goal is to run all the practices cleanly, do as many laps as possible, perform well in qualifying and feel confident in the race.

      Question: Last year you climbed to the podium in Baku as a result of the Formula 2 race. Do you like racing on this track?

      Kimi Antonelli: Yes, it's a difficult track. There are a lot of bumps in some corners, which makes them harder, but overall it's a good circuit.

      Last year tyre degradation here was quite low. We'll see what it's like now. The circuit is difficult, but I like racing here.

      Question: What does the team expect from the race in Baku? Do you think that in recent races the car has slightly lagged behind the nearest rivals?

      Kimi Antonelli: Some teams are still bringing updates, which complicates things for us a bit, because we're fully focused on the 2026 car and are no longer developing this one. To match their level we have to be more precise and coordinated, more perfect.

      As a driver, you have to make the most of every opportunity, the difference in results is so small now that you are punished for every mistake, and quite heavily. From my side I have to try to do everything perfectly.

      As for this weekend, it's hard to say. Last year the team was quick here in the race. I hope it will be the same this time, although sometimes on the tracks where we should have been quick, we lacked pace, and where we performed poorly last year we looked good. We'll see how it all unfolds this time.