George Russell won the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from pole, holding off Max Verstappen after two safety-car periods turned a controlled Mercedes run into a tense finish. The victory was Russell’s third of the 2026 season and showed that Mercedes had the strongest race pace in Baku, despite Red Bull’s advantage in final practice.
Russell sets the pace
Russell led all the way in the 51-lap race. He had taken pole on Friday by eight tenths of a second and converted that qualifying advantage into consistent race performance on Sunday.
Verstappen had looked like the immediate threat after topping final practice by 0.099 seconds ahead of Russell. But the Red Bull driver had also described his car in the gusty conditions as “jumping like a kangaroo.” That potential advantage did not carry into the race.
Two safety cars change the race
The first safety car was deployed on lap 30 after Alex Albon locked up at Turn 5 and hit the TecPro barriers. Russell had been in control, but the neutralisation reduced his cushion and brought Verstappen back into contention.
The second interruption followed the lap-36 restart. Franco Colapinto locked up and hit Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. Lando Norris was caught in the same incident and retired. A separate clash between Liam Lawson and Arvid Lindblad also contributed to the sequence that brought out the second safety car.
Verstappen applies late pressure
The second restart was completed on lap 39, with Russell ahead of Verstappen, Oscar Piastri, Isack Hadjar and Charles Leclerc. Verstappen pressured Russell after racing resumed, but Mercedes resisted the challenge.
The leaders eventually ran almost side by side in a drag race to the finish. Russell held his position and secured the win, turning what had looked like a comfortable victory into a last-lap test.
McLaren’s weekend unravels
McLaren’s race moved in the opposite direction. Norris was eliminated in the restart crash, while Piastri lost what had looked like a likely podium. On the lap after the second restart, Piastri ran deep at Turn 1 while defending against Hadjar.
Kimi Antonelli produced one of the day’s strongest recoveries. According to the race report, he started 16th and finished fifth. The available material does not include the complete official classification or the points impact, so the effect on the championship standings cannot yet be stated precisely.
