George Russell managed to fend off Max Verstappen in an electrifying climax to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, crossing the line just 0.1 seconds ahead of the Red Bull driver. The Mercedes racer had seemed destined for a comfortable win after building an 11‑second advantage, but two safety‑car periods erased his lead and forced him into a desperate defence during the final laps. The lights‑to‑flag victory narrows Russell's gap to his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who leads the world championship, to 66 points. Antonelli climbed from a 16th‑place start—after a qualifying crash—to finish fifth, keeping the championship battle alive.
Isack Hadjar claimed third place, delivering Red Bull its first double‑podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix. Hadjar’s performance was particularly impressive given he missed three races earlier in the season due to a wrist injury. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc recovered from an early‑race second‑place position to finish fourth, while his team‑mate Lewis Hamilton could only manage sixth after a pace‑deficient run that left him stuck in his starting spot.
A multi‑car incident at the restart after the first safety car saw Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly eliminated when Alpine’s Franco Colapinto collided with them. The chaos was triggered by a crash from Williams driver Alex Albon, which had initially brought out the safety car. The outcome leaves Russell as the sole realistic challenger to Antonelli’s lead, with third‑placed Hamilton now 103 points adrift and fourth‑placed Norris 116 points behind, with eight races still to run.
Mercedes also edged closer to clinching its first constructors' championship since 2021, extending its lead over Ferrari to 160 points. The collision also opened up points‑scoring chances for other drivers. Arvid Lindblad surged past Haas driver Esteban Ocon in the final laps to take seventh place.
Behind him, Oliver Bearman secured an eighth‑place finish for Haas, earning a valuable double‑points haul. Carlos Sainz recovered from a five‑place grid penalty and a time‑loss pit stop before the first safety car to claim the final point for Williams. Aston Martin endured a bleak weekend as both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retired with technical failures, leaving the team with no points.
The race’s top ten were as follows: 1) George Russell (Mercedes), 2) Max Verstappen (Red Bull), 3) Isack Hadjar (Red Bull), 4) Charles Leclerc (Ferrari), 5) Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes), 6) Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari), 7) Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls), 8) Esteban Ocon (Haas), 9) Oliver Bearman (Haas), 10) Carlos Sainz (Williams). Russell had been dominant in qualifying, snatching pole by nearly a full second on Friday, and he translated that speed into a strong start, keeping the lead while teammate Oscar Piastri slipped past Leclerc. Verstappen, starting eighth, surged to third within seven laps, while Piastri’s defensive driving allowed Russell to stretch his advantage to 11 seconds before Alex Albon’s crash on lap 31 prompted the first safety‑car deployment.
During the safety‑car period the field pitted, and a brief restart on lap 36 saw Russell manage the rolling start expertly. However, Verstappen overtook Piastri, and chaos erupted behind them when Colapinto locked his brakes and slid into Gasly, who was then forced into Norris’s path.
The incident left Russell with a very fast Verstappen on his tail as the race resumed with 13 laps remaining. A second well‑executed restart kept Russell ahead, but the Dutchman stayed within striking distance, setting up a tense showdown.
As the final lap unfolded, a crash involving Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac triggered yellow flags, forcing Russell to lift off the power and lose turbo boost. This loss of energy gave Verstappen a fleeting chance to close the gap, and he finished just 0.196 seconds behind the Briton. The margin of 0.1 seconds is the closest finish in a Formula 1 race since Michael Schumacher beat Rubens Barrichello by 0.011 seconds at the 2022 United States Grand Prix. After the race, Russell reflected, “The first half of the race was pretty straightforward – I built a big gap.
The safety‑car restart with Max behind made me realise it wouldn’t be easy; he drove incredibly at the end.” He added, “When the yellow flag came out for the Bottas crash I lifted off the power, and when I went back I had no turbo, so I lost power and Max almost caught me at the line. That would have been a real shame, but overall it was an incredible weekend.” Missing out on the win would have been a cruel twist to what has been Russell’s most complete weekend since the season‑opening Australian Grand Prix.
Although he still faces a massive challenge to close the gap to Antonelli—especially with an upcoming grid penalty for a new engine—the victory provides a massive confidence boost after months of being outshone by his teammate. The triumph also brings Russell level with Antonelli on eight career wins, after the Italian had briefly moved ahead in Madrid. "It’s amazing to be back on the top step of the podium," Russell said. "I want to thank the team for believing in me through the tough moments and helping me get through it.
I’m really proud of this weekend." Looking ahead, Formula 1 will travel to Malaysia for the first time since 2017, with the Bahrain Grand Prix taking place at the Sepang International Circuit. Fans can watch live coverage on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW, no contract required, cancel anytime.