Formula 1: George Russell wins the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
What's the story
George Russell of Mercedes clinched a thrilling victory at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, despite a last-minute challenge from Red Bull Racing's Max Verstappen. The race was spiced up by two safety car periods in quick succession. Russell dominated the early stages of the race while Verstappen made his way up from eighth on the grid but got stuck behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri.
Race dynamics
Verstappen's late challenge falls short
The two safety cars brought Verstappen right onto Russell's tail for an 11-lap sprint to the finish.
Although Russell couldn't shake off Verstappen, the four-time world champion wasn't close enough to attempt an overtaking maneuver.
After an energy deployment issue, Russell feared that Verstappen would overtake him before the finish line but managed to hold on and win by just under 0.2 seconds.
Championship implications
Russell closes in on Antonelli in the championship standings
Russell's win, along with teammate Kimi Antonelli's impressive recovery from 16th to fifth place, has reduced the Italian's lead over the Briton in the championship to 66 points.
The race was marked by Russell's stellar drive for his first win since June's Austrian Grand Prix and Verstappen's brilliant comeback from a tough qualifying session.
Race incidents
Piastri's McLaren falters after strong start
The mid-race chaos was triggered by a first safety car that led to another one almost immediately.
McLaren's race fell apart after a promising start, with Piastri moving up from third on the grid to second by overtaking Scuderia Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the start.
However, he couldn't match Russell's pace and soon found himself defending against Red Bull's Isack Hadjar.
Race developments
Verstappen makes quick progress from 8th on grid
Verstappen was on the move from eighth place after a qualifying session marred by a series of issues that prevented him from qualifying second to Russell.
By lap seven, he had passed Hadjar into third place without any resistance.
The three cars formed a stalemate with no one able to pass until Williams's Alex Albon crashed at Turn Five on lap 30, triggering the first safety car period.
Last-minute push
Safety cars spice up the race
On the restart, six laps later, Verstappen overtook Piastri into Turn One to take second place.
However, another safety car was deployed after a first-corner collision involving Alpine's Franco Colapinto and his teammate Pierre Gasly.
This incident brought Verstappen onto Russell's tail for another restart, but the Briton handled it calmly, accelerating early and catching the Dutchman somewhat off-guard.
Top 10
Azerbaijan GP: Top 10 drivers
1) George Russell (Mercedes)
2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull)
3) Isak Hadjar (Red Bull)
4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)
5) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)
6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari)
7) Arvid Lindblad (RB)
8) Esteban Ocon (Haas)
9) Oliver Bearman (Haas)
10) Carlos Sainz (Williams)
Max
134 career podiums in Formula 1 for Verstappen
Verstappen collected his 3rd succssive podium finish since having forced to retire at the Dutch GP.
He took third place during at the Italian GP earlier this month followed by a 2nd place at Spanish GP.
Verstappen has now sealed his 7th podium finish of the season from 15 races.
Overall, the Dutchman now has a whopping 134 career podiums in Formula 1. Notably, he is a four-time F1 title winner.
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3rd race win of the season for Russell
Russell collected his 3rd race win of the F1 2026 season. From 15 races, he now has 8 podium finishes this season. Overall, this was Russell's 8th career race win in F1. He also clocked his 32nd podium finish.
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3rd career podium finish for Hadjar
Hadjar, who made his F1 debut last season, collected his third career podium finish. Notably, he collected his 2nd podium finish in Red Bull Racing colors this season. Last season, he raced for Racing Bulls.
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Leclerc claims 2nd successive 4th-place finishes; Hamilton amongst the points
Leclerc clinched his 2nd successive fourth-place finish, having also secured 4th at the Spanish GP before this. Meanwhile, his teammate Lewis Hamilton settled for 6th place to earn valuable points. Both were sandwiched between Antonelli, who secured 5th position.
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A look at the Driver's standings
Antonelli leads the pack with 302 points from 15 races this season. Russell is next with 236 points and is 37 clear of Hamilton (199). Norris is placed 4th and owns 186 points. Leclerc has amassed 179 points and is ahead of Verstappen (163).
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Which team leads the show in F1 2026?
Mercedes continue to lead the show in the Formula 1 2026 season Team standings. Mercedes own 538 points and are ahead of Scuderia Ferrari, who have 378 points. McLaren are third with 306 points secured so far. Red Bull Racing remain 4th with 263 points.