George Russell’s spluttering world championship hopes received a kiss of life when title favourite Kimi Antonelli crashed out in qualifying for today’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix – and he took pole by a mile. Antonelli badly misjudged the first corner around Baku’s tight ribbon of street track, hitting the wall on the inside and puncturing his front left tyre. He will start from 16th place, calling the error ‘stupid’.Russell, on the other hand, was a massive eight-tenths ahead of Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. ‘It’s pole by the biggest margin of my career in any formula,’ he smiled. ‘It was the perfect lap in the end.’The 20-year-old Antonelli has been imperious this season, almost blemish-free, and leads his Mercedes team-mate Russell by 81 points with 14 rounds of the 23-race season gone.Russell, however, contended he is feeling more ‘comfortable’ in the car since the summer break and driving more ‘intuitively’. Straws to grasp.As for the crash, Antonelli and his race engineer Peter Bonnington discussed how to deal with the early mishap. George Russell took pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a major boost to his World Championship host Kimi Antonelli crashed out of qualifying, but he is still 81 points ahead of his team-mateBonnington told his driver: ‘We just better park up, mate. We’re not going to be able to fix that.’Antonelli: ‘Are you sure?’Bonnington: ‘Affirm. Stop in a safe place.’Antonelli: ‘Let me try, mate. Let me try.’Bonnington: ‘We just better park up, mate. We’re not going to be able to fix that.’Antonelli added: ‘I’m sorry guys, my God.’Bonnington, who has nurtured Antonelli since the Italian arrived at Mercedes as a rookie last year with the daunting task of replacing Lewis Hamilton, replied: ‘No sweat, Kimi.’Russell, strong in practice all weekend, duly claimed his first pole since the Austrian race at the end of June – a grand prix he won, one of his two victories this season, alongside Australia, compared to Antonelli’s eight.But in blustery Baku, living up to its moniker as the City of Wind, both talent and fortune have favoured Russell. He has mastered the circuit, while Antonelli sat out much of Friday’s practice with a hydraulic problem, putting him on the back foot. Antonelli is disappointed, but he drove from 19th to victory in Monza at the beginning of the month, so he could still salvage this Grand PrixYet, beware, George! Antonelli scythed from 19th in Monza at the beginning of the month to victory, albeit with a new engine and its extra grunt – and he is driving a Silver Arrow well-equipped for this circuit; one far-and-away dominant, in fact.And Russell needs to take lumps, not nibbles, out of his younger team-mate’s lead if he is going to wrest his apparent title destiny from him. ‘The mistake has brought me down to earth,’ admitted Antonelli. ‘It shows you have always got to be on top of it.’Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar, meanwhile, will start from fourth on the grid for Red Bull, Lando Norris fifth for McLaren, and Hamilton sixth for Ferrari.A rare disappointing day for Max Verstappen, who was delayed by a late yellow flag, and will start eighth in this race that has been moved forward 24 hours to accommodate Azerbaijan’s Remembrance Day on Sunday.