George Russell delivered the most statistically complete weekend of his Formula 1 career at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but does that performance prove the British driver is finally back at his peak? In Baku, Russell executed a flawless Grand Slam – he secured pole position, led the race from start to finish, and posted the fastest lap, all while taking the checkered flag. This dominant display trimmed the championship gap to his Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli to 66 points with eight races left, keeping the title fight interesting as the season enters its final phase.
Whether Russell can mount a genuine challenge for the remainder of the year remains to be seen, yet the widening disparity between him and Antonelli over recent months has sparked doubts about the 28‑year‑old’s chances of ever clinching the title while sharing a car with the Italian. Antonelli’s Baku weekend was hampered by technical problems that forced him to miss a large portion of practice and a crash in qualifying that left him starting 16th. It was the first time since the opening round that Russell had such a clear advantage over his teammate. Russell has been candid about his frustration at falling behind Antonelli, attributing much of the gap to the learning curve presented by the new 2026‑spec cars.
He believes his performance in Baku signals a turning point. "I think it's probably my first Grand Slam in Formula 1 and, for sure, the most dominant weekend I've had in my career, so that has come at a really great moment," he said. "To achieve it on a circuit that demands such commitment and confidence makes me proud, because it would have been easy to lose faith this season – not just about the championship, but about my own ability, and that never happened." He added, "I'm very proud of the resilience that I and my close group of engineers have shown during the tough periods this year because there's been a lot of hard work to overcome some of the challenges, to adapt my driving style to suit this new car better.
F1 is so tough, you don't get opportunities to practice this, and finally it's coming to me a bit more intuitively than it once did, and I'm gaining confidence." The victory was even more impressive because Russell had to fend off Red Bull’s four‑time world champion Max Verstappen in the closing laps after two safety‑car periods erased much of his lead. He crossed the line just a tenth of a second ahead of Verstappen – the narrowest margin of victory in an F1 race since 2002. Sky Sports F1 pundit and three‑time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick praised the performance, saying, "He's definitely stepped up.
It's a big points gap but I think the championship is still something to be excited about, which for a lot of us coming into this weekend maybe we didn't expect. So that's something to look forward to now." Former driver and Sky analyst Karun Chandhok was equally impressed by Russell’s composure under pressure. "That last stint from George, he had Verstappen piling the pressure on.
In some ways that's more satisfying for George. It's one thing disappearing off, 10 seconds in the lead and driving by yourself.
But winning under pressure will give him more satisfaction," he explained. If Russell has indeed found his form again, the timing could not be better.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was the first of six races scheduled over the next seven weeks. Next up is the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, followed by the Singapore Grand Prix, creating a triple‑header. The calendar then moves to a back‑to‑back swing in the United States, Mexico and Brazil.
Complicating matters, Russell will have to serve a grid penalty later in the season for an engine change, which will make his task even tougher. However, simply matching Antonelli’s pace for the rest of the year would provide a massive psychological lift heading into 2027. In recent months Russell has rarely spoken with overt confidence, but his comments now suggest his mojo is returning.
"There's much less pressure on me than there is him. He's had an incredibly flawless season. Yesterday was probably his first mistake of this whole season in a proper session, qualifying, race, and he still came home in P5 today," Russell noted. "I didn't really consider myself in this fight for a number of races, purely because my performance wasn't strong enough.
Now I feel like if the season were to have started today, or since the summer break, I would have been able to fight. Now I've got this big deficit. It can change quickly.
So, I'm not chasing that. I'm chasing to win every race, and what will be, will be." Formula 1 returns to Malaysia for the first time since 2017 as it hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix at Sepang. Live coverage begins Friday morning on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW – no contract required, cancel anytime.