AZERBAIJAN GP: RUSSELL BEATS VERSTAPPEN

Cavalieri Garage Magazine

3 hours ago

2 min read

George Russell completed a virtually perfect weekend by winning the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix from pole position. The Mercedes driver returned to the top step of the podium after a six-race winless stretch, securing his third victory of the season and the eighth of his Formula 1 career. The result also allowed the 28-year-old from King’s Lynn to gain valuable ground in the World Championship battle.

What made the Baku victory even more significant was the way Russell achieved it. He recorded the first Grand Chelem of his career: pole position, victory, fastest lap, and the race lead from start to finish. It was a complete performance, seriously challenged only in the closing stages when Max Verstappen launched an aggressive charge following the second Safety Car period.

After the restart, the four-time World Champion steadily reduced the gap to the Mercedes and put Russell under intense pressure over the final laps. The British driver never made a mistake, however, as the pair produced a tense battle measured in tenths of a second without an actual pass. Russell crossed the finish line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen, completing a spectacular ending to a race he had controlled from the opening lap.

Red Bull still left Baku with an important result, placing both cars on the podium for the first time since Shanghai in 2024. Verstappen finished second after fighting his way forward, while Isack Hadjar completed an impressive return to action by taking third place.

Ferrari, meanwhile, missed the podium for the fifth consecutive Grand Prix. Charles Leclerc brought the SF-26 home in fourth, while Lewis Hamilton finished sixth after losing a position to Kimi Antonelli's Mercedes in the closing stages.

The 20-year-old Italian did not produce another spectacular comeback like the one seen at Monza, instead building his race around patience and damage limitation.

Starting from the eighth row following his Q1 mistake, Antonelli avoided unnecessary risks and took full advantage of the mistakes and incidents ahead of him to minimize the damage. His progress was helped by trouble for both McLaren drivers, with Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri each running wide at Turn 1, as well as the chaos triggered by Franco Colapinto at the restart following the first Safety Car period.

Fifth place importantly allows Antonelli to retain a significant championship cushion, although Russell gained valuable points with both the victory and fastest lap.

Antonelli remains the World Championship leader, 66 points ahead of Russell, 103 ahead of Hamilton, 116 ahead of Norris, 123 ahead of Leclerc, and 139 ahead of Verstappen.

Baku also strengthens Mercedes' position in the Constructors' Championship. Its advantage over Ferrari has grown to 160 points, while Russell leaves Azerbaijan with a flawless weekend and a victory that keeps his championship challenge mathematically alive.