Russell Holds Off Verstappen by 0.196s to Win in Baku

George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday, 26 September, holding off Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds in a race shaped by two Safety Car periods and six retirements. The Mercedes driver started from pole, led the opening stint comfortably and then had to defend under intense pressure after the neutralisations wiped out his advantage. It was his third win of 2026, the eighth of his career and his first since Austria in June.

“It’s amazing to be back on the top step of the podium,” Russell said. “Max almost got me at the line, so that would have been a real shame.” Red Bull completed a double podium with Isack Hadjar in third, while Charles Leclerc was fourth and championship leader Kimi Antonelli recovered from 16th on the grid to fifth.

Race result: the points finishers

• 1. George Russell (Mercedes) – 51 laps in 1:38:02.143
• 2. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) – +0.196s
• 3. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) – +10.704s
• 4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) – +14.136s
• 5. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) – +14.512s
• 6. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) – +22.382s
• 7. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) – +31.159s
• 8. Esteban Ocon (Haas) – +31.189s
• 9. Oliver Bearman (Haas) – +31.929s
• 10. Carlos Sainz (Williams) – +32.416s

How Russell built and nearly lost his lead

Russell started on medium tyres and led from the first corner. Oscar Piastri moved into second on softs and spent the opening phase defending from both Red Bulls, which suited the Mercedes driver perfectly. GrandPrix.com’s race analysis reports that Russell had built a lead of more than 11 seconds over Piastri, and just over 12 seconds over Verstappen, before Alex Albon’s crash brought out the first Safety Car.

That erased Russell’s advantage in an instant. Mercedes and Red Bull both switched their lead drivers to soft tyres, while Piastri and Hadjar took mediums. The softs gave Verstappen the grip he needed at the restart, and he passed Piastri to move into second. Then came the second interruption: Franco Colapinto locked up at Turn 1 on a restart and collided with Pierre Gasly, who was pushed into Lando Norris. All three retired, and the Safety Car returned.

Russell had to defend again. Verstappen attacked at the next restart, but the Mercedes held on. Formula 1 reports that Verstappen pushed so hard that he glanced the wall on the entry to Turn 16 several times. GrandPrix.com’s analysis shows Russell gradually edging clear, from 0.496 seconds on lap 44 to 0.906 seconds on lap 50, and setting the fastest lap of the race, a 1:44.916, on lap 49.

The final lap brought one last twist. Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac at Turn 15, causing yellow flags, and Russell suffered turbo lag on the exit of the corner. Verstappen gained 0.710 seconds in a matter of metres, but the line came just in time for Russell. Formula 1 has since compared the margin with the closest finishes in the sport’s history.

Drama throughout the field

Behind the leaders, the race was chaotic. Piastri locked up at Turn 1 after a restart, damaging his tyres and dropping from the podium places. He finished 13th, and McLaren left Azerbaijan without a point. Aston Martin lost both cars, with Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso retiring. Gabriel Bortoleto was given a 10-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, dropping him to 15th.

• Retirements: Colapinto, Gasly, Norris, Albon, Alonso and Stroll.
• Bottas crashed on the final lap but was classified 16th.
• Arvid Lindblad took seventh for Racing Bulls; the FIA cleared him after contact with team mate Liam Lawson.
• Haas scored with both cars as Ocon and Bearman took eighth and ninth.
• Sainz kept tenth after receiving a warning for a pre-race practice-start breach.

What the win means for Russell

Russell described himself as feeling “more myself again” after a difficult spell. He has been adapting his driving style since the summer break and credited the team’s support during tougher moments. In Baku, everything came together: he topped practice, took pole by 0.837 seconds and converted it into victory. Formula 1 notes that it was his first grand slam, combining pole, victory, fastest lap and leading every lap.

The result also revived his championship hopes. Antonelli still leads on 302 points, but Russell is now second on 236, cutting the gap from 81 points to 66. Asked how he planned to close the rest, Russell was direct: “Win every race! That’s the game plan.” With Antonelli holding eight wins to Russell’s three, the task remains substantial, but Baku showed that Russell can dominate a weekend.

For Red Bull, second and third delivered a double podium and suggested it could challenge for wins at circuits that suit its car. Verstappen, voted Driver of the Day, is still waiting for his first victory of 2026 after coming agonisingly close.

Next stop: Sepang

Strategy and the Safety Car effect

The race turned on the two Safety Car periods. Russell’s large lead before the first interruption showed that Mercedes had the fastest car in clean air, but neutralisations are a great leveller. Once the field bunched up, the choice of tyres for the restart became crucial. Red Bull’s decision to put Verstappen on softs gave him the grip to pass Piastri and then pressure Russell, while Hadjar’s mediums helped him remain competitive for longer.

For Russell, the difficulty was defending on a circuit with a very long straight where energy deployment matters. Drivers use most of their battery on the run to the finish line, and a small difference in energy or exit speed can create an overtaking chance. Russell had to manage his energy carefully while also keeping Verstappen out of the slipstream in the final sector.

The final lap showed how small margins can decide a race. Bottas’s crash at Turn 15 brought yellow flags, and Russell’s turbo lag cost him time on the exit of the corner. Verstappen gained 0.710 seconds in a matter of metres, and the finish became one of the closest of the season. Russell called his final stint the most fun he has had in a Formula 1 race, a sign of how intense the fight was.

The chaotic race also produced strong results for teams further down the order. Lindblad’s seventh place, Haas’s double points finish and Sainz’s tenth rewarded drivers who stayed out of trouble. On a day when six cars retired, finishing was itself an achievement.

The championship heads straight to Malaysia for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia at Sepang, from 2 to 4 October. It is the first Formula 1 race at the circuit since 2017, and it will be the first time most of the current drivers race these cars there. For Malaysian fans, the timing is perfect: Russell arrives with momentum, Antonelli with a point to prove and Red Bull with fresh confidence. After Baku’s chaos, a straightforward race seems unlikely.