George Russell managed to hold off Max Verstappen in a nail‑biting conclusion to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, securing victory by a razor‑thin margin of just 0.1 seconds. The Mercedes driver had seemed destined for a comfortable win after building an 11‑second gap, but two safety‑car periods erased his advantage and forced a dramatic showdown in the final laps. The lights‑to‑flag triumph narrowed Russell's deficit to his teammate Kimi Antonelli, who leads the drivers' championship, to 66 points. Antonelli, who started from 16th after a qualifying crash, clawed his way back to finish fifth, keeping the title fight alive.
Isack Hadjar completed Red Bull's first double‑podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix by taking third place. The French rookie returned to form after missing three rounds with a wrist injury, showcasing the speed that made him a standout newcomer.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc recovered from an early‑race slip to claim fourth, while his teammate Lewis Hamilton could do no better than his starting position of sixth, hampered by a lack of outright pace throughout the event. A chaotic incident on the restart after the first safety car saw Lando Norris and Pierre Gasly eliminated when Franco Colapinto, driving for Alpine, crashed into them. The chain reaction began when Williams driver Alex Albon had earlier spun into the barriers, prompting the safety‑car deployment.
Colapinto later issued an apology, calling the incident "a big mistake." Norris, visibly frustrated, urged the FIA to consider stricter penalties for reckless behaviour, suggesting that some drivers "shouldn't be in Formula 1." With the win, Russell becomes the only realistic challenger to Antonelli for the championship title. Third‑placed Hamilton now trails by 103 points and fourth‑placed Norris by 116 points, with eight races still to run.
Mercedes also edged closer to their first constructors' championship since 2021, extending their lead over Ferrari to 160 points. The multi‑car crash opened the door for several midfield drivers to score points. Arvid Lindblad surged past Haas’s Esteban Ocon on the final lap to take seventh, while Oliver Bearman followed closely to secure a double‑points finish for Haas.
Carlos Sainz earned the final point for Williams after overcoming a five‑place grid penalty and a time‑loss pit stop before the first safety car. Aston Martin endured a bleak weekend as both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retired with technical failures, leaving the team without any points. The official top‑ten finishers were: 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 dominated qualifying, snatching pole with a margin of nearly a second on Friday, and he translated that performance into a strong start, retaining the lead while Oscar Piastri slipped past Leclerc.
Verstappen, starting eighth, surged to third within seven laps, but Piastri’s defensive driving allowed Russell to stretch his lead to 11 seconds before Alex Albon’s crash triggered the first safety‑car period on lap 31. During the ensuing pit‑stop window the field shuffled, and a brief restart on lap 36 saw Russell manage the rolling start expertly.
However, Verstappen passed Piastri, and chaos unfolded behind them as Colapinto locked his brakes, slid into Gasly, and forced Norris into the path of the Alpine driver. When the race resumed with 13 laps remaining, Russell found himself with the fast‑moving Verstappen on his tail. A second well‑executed restart kept Russell ahead, but the Red Bull driver stayed within striking distance, setting up a tense finish.
On the final lap, a crash involving Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac brought out yellow flags, prompting Russell to lift off the throttle. The loss of turbo boost left him powerless for the last few corners, giving Verstappen a brief window to close the gap. The Dutchman finished just 0.196 seconds behind, marking the closest margin of victory since Rubens Barrichello beat Michael Schumacher by 0.011 seconds at the 2022 United States Grand Prix.
After the race, Russell reflected on the drama: "The first half of the race felt pretty straightforward, building the gap. The safety‑car restart with Max behind made me realise it wouldn't be easy, and he drove incredibly at the end. When the yellow flag came out for Bottas’s crash, I lifted off the power, lost turbo, and Max almost got me at the line. It would have been a real shame, but overall an incredible weekend." The win was a crucial morale boost for Russell, who has struggled to match Antonelli’s consistency all season.
He now shares the record of eight career victories with the Italian, who had previously 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." Antonelli, meanwhile, endured a difficult weekend on the unforgiving Baku street circuit. After clipping a barrier in qualifying, the 20‑year‑old fell to 16th on the grid and spent 17 laps climbing back into the top ten. He briefly ran ninth, three seconds behind Gasly, before the first safety car shuffled the order. A series of incidents – Norris locking up, Albon’s crash, and Gasly’s elimination – allowed Antonelli to gain positions without overtaking.
He later passed a struggling Hamilton on lap 42 and finished just under four tenths of a second behind Leclerc for fourth place. "Today I’m happy with P5," Antonelli told Sky Sports F1.
"It wasn’t an easy race, and I was always a step behind, especially after missing half of FP2." Despite the setback, Antonelli remains the favorite for the championship and looks forward to the rescheduled Bahrain Grand Prix, which will take place at Sepang in Malaysia due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. "It’s exciting," he added. "George had an incredible weekend, he drove with a lot of confidence. This weekend was my worst of the year in terms of performance – I wasn’t there, I was in damage‑save mode rather than full‑attack." Formula 1 will head to Malaysia for the first time since 2017, hosting the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit.
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