George Russell won the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku on September 26, 2026, holding off Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds. Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli finished fifth after a qualifying crash, while a late multi-car collision at Turn 1 knocked Lando Norris out of the race.
George Russell delivered a commanding performance at the Baku City Circuit, converting pole position into his third victory of the season and his first-ever win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver led the field from start to finish for the first time in his career, though his comfortable margin evaporated during a chaotic second half marked by safety cars and late drama.
Russell’s victory cut his championship deficit down to 66 points behind teammate Kimi Antonelli with eight rounds remaining in the season. The Englishman acknowledged that his form has steadily improved since the summer break, allowing him to regain confidence in the car after a difficult first half of the year.
“After the summer break I feel like I have gone from strength-to-strength and I feel more like myself and that’s a good thing. Win every race, that’s the gameplan. My teammate has had an incredible season and now we’ve got to crunch time. I’ve got to focus on myself.”
George Russell, Mercedes driver
Max Verstappen Pressure and Late Turbo Drama in Baku
Russell appeared to be coasting toward a straightforward victory before late-race incidents shuffled the order. Following a crash by Valtteri Bottas through the old town section of the track, race officials deployed waved yellow flags. That sudden slowdown stripped Russell of his turbo boost just as he accelerated out of the restriction.
“When the yellow flag came out, I lifted off the power and, when I went back, I had no turbo, so then I had no power. Max nearly got me on the line, which would have been a real shame.”
George Russell, Mercedes driver
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen, who started eighth on the grid, seized the opportunity to erase a massive deficit and lunged toward the leader on the final straight. Verstappen crossed the finish line just 0.196 seconds behind Russell to secure second place and round out a strong recovery drive. His teammate, Isack Hadjar, finished third to claim his first podium back from a six-week wrist injury.
Kimi Antonelli Recovers From Qualifying Crash to Limit Damage
The weekend presented severe hurdles for championship leader Kimi Antonelli. During Friday’s qualifying session, the Italian hit the inside concrete wall at Turn 1, damaging the front-left corner of his Mercedes and dropping him to 16th on the starting grid.
“A very unnecessary mistake. Obviously I misjudged with the grip being so different compared to the first lap. I hit the wall, a very unnecessary mistake so early on. It’s a good way to come back to Earth and to remind myself that I need to be on top of it every time.”
Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes driver
Mindful of the standings and dealing with a car that lacked the ideal setup following practice mechanical issues, Antonelli adopted a damage-limitation strategy rather than an all-out attack. Navigating safety cars and attrition ahead of him, he climbed steadily through the field to finish in fifth place.
Turn 1 Chaos and Oscar Piastri’s Heartbreak
Turn 1 proved treacherous throughout Saturday’s 51-lap race, triggering multiple retirements and erasing podium aspirations. A safety car called for Alex Albon’s crash led to a chaotic restart where Alpine’s Franco Colapinto locked up his front wheels and collided with teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris. The incident forced Gasly and Norris to retire immediately, leaving the McLaren driver furious.
Oscar Piastri suffered an equally painful fate later in the race. Running comfortably in third position, the Australian locked up heavily under braking on lap 40 while defending against Hadjar, spinning into the run-off area and tumbling down the order to finish 14th.
“I need to go and look because it certainly took me by surprise. I didn’t think I braked super late or super hard, just instantly locked both fronts.”
Oscar Piastri, McLaren driver
Stewards assessed penalties following the incidents, including a grid penalty for Colapinto at the upcoming round in Malaysia due to his inability to serve a 10-second time penalty during the race.
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