George Russell Wins Azerbaijan GP After Late Verstappen Fight

Baku, Azerbaijan, September 26, 2026: George Russell claimed his third victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season after a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds in a thrilling finish at the Baku City Circuit.

The Mercedes driver converted pole position into his eighth career Formula 1 victory, but had to withstand intense late pressure from Verstappen after two Safety Car periods closed up the field during the 51-lap race.

Verstappen finished second for Red Bull, while team-mate Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third on his return from injury. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished fourth, ahead of Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli, who produced one of the drives of the race by recovering from 16th on the grid to finish fifth.

Lewis Hamilton was sixth for Ferrari, followed by Racing Bulls rookie Arvid Lindblad in seventh. Haas secured a double points finish through Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman in eighth and ninth, while Carlos Sainz completed the top 10 for Williams.

Russell Controls Opening Stages

Russell made a clean start from pole and immediately established control at the front. Oscar Piastri moved into second ahead of Leclerc, while Norris gained a position on Hadjar.

Verstappen also made progress during the opening laps, moving past Pierre Gasly and Hamilton before closing in on the leading group.

Russell gradually built his advantage while the Red Bulls began putting pressure on Piastri and Leclerc. Hadjar eventually passed Leclerc around the outside at Turn 1 before completing the move through Turn 3, with Verstappen following him past the Ferrari.

Verstappen subsequently moved ahead of Hadjar and began attacking Piastri for second. The long run towards Turn 1 proved crucial, with the Red Bull showing strong straight-line performance while Piastri struggled for traction out of Turn 16.

At the halfway stage, Russell had extended his advantage to almost 10 seconds, although the Mercedes driver reported concerns over tyre pressure after brushing the wall at Turn 15.

Safety Car Changes the Race

The first major turning point came on Lap 30 when Alexander Albon locked up at Turn 6 while battling Haas driver Esteban Ocon. The Williams hit the barriers, bringing out the Safety Car.

With the leaders yet to make their scheduled pit stops, the neutralisation allowed them to change tyres without losing significant track position. Russell retained the lead, while Red Bull successfully double-stacked Verstappen and Hadjar.

The restart produced immediate action. Verstappen finally moved past Piastri for second, while a separate incident at Turn 1 dramatically changed the race.

Franco Colapinto locked up and collided with Alpine team-mate Gasly. Gasly was subsequently unable to avoid Norris, resulting in all three cars retiring from the race.

The incident brought out another Safety Car and once again bunched up the field.

Piastri Throws Away Podium Chance

Russell again led Verstappen at the restart, with Piastri third and Hadjar fourth.

However, Piastri’s race unravelled on the following lap. Under pressure from Hadjar, the McLaren driver locked up into Turn 1 and spun, dropping from a potential podium position to the back of the field.

Piastri eventually recovered to finish 14th.

Further forward, Antonelli continued his remarkable recovery from 16th on the grid. After dropping as low as 17th during the opening stages, the Mercedes driver steadily worked his way through the field and passed Hamilton with eight laps remaining to take fifth.

Russell Holds Off Verstappen

The final stages became a straight fight between Russell and Verstappen.

The Safety Cars had erased much of Russell’s advantage, allowing Verstappen to remain within striking distance of the Mercedes. The Red Bull stayed within a few tenths during the closing laps as Russell negotiated the narrow Baku streets under enormous pressure.

A late yellow flag followed when Valtteri Bottas put his Cadillac into the barriers, but the incident did not prevent the leaders from continuing their battle.

As the 51st and final lap began, Verstappen remained close enough to launch one final attack. The Red Bull drew alongside Russell on the run towards the finish line, creating a drag race down the start/finish straight.

Russell held his line and carried enough momentum to keep Verstappen behind him, crossing the finish line just 0.196 seconds ahead to secure victory.

Hadjar completed the podium, 10.704 seconds behind Russell, while Leclerc finished fourth and Antonelli fifth, 14.512 seconds behind the winner.

Lindblad finished seventh for Racing Bulls, ahead of Ocon and Bearman, while Sainz took the final point-paying position in 10th.

The result gave Russell his third win of the 2026 Formula 1 season and his eighth victory in the championship, following a race in which the Mercedes driver had to withstand two Safety Car interruptions and a final-lap challenge from Verstappen.

2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix – Race Results