George Russell survived a nail biting battle with Max Verstappen to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, crossing the line just a tenth of a second ahead of the Red Bull driver after leading every lap of the race.
The Mercedes driver looked set for a comfortable win after building an eleven second cushion, but two separate Safety Car interruptions erased his advantage and forced him into a tense fight to the flag against Verstappen.
Russell’s win narrows the championship gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli, who now leads by 66 points after clawing his way from sixteenth on the grid, a result of a qualifying shunt, up to fifth place.
Red Bull enjoyed a strong day overall as Isack Hadjar claimed third, marking the team’s first double podium finish since China in 2024 and capping his return following a three race absence due to a wrist problem.
Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc slipped from second early on to finish fourth, while Lewis Hamilton ended the race in sixth, the same spot he started, after struggling for pace throughout.
Lando Norris was eliminated from contention when Franco Colapinto collided with him and Pierre Gasly during the restart following the opening Safety Car period, which had been triggered by Alex Albon’s crash. Colapinto admitted fault afterward, though Norris responded angrily, suggesting some competitors do not belong on the grid.
Further down the order, Arvid Lindblad claimed seventh late on, passing Esteban Ocon, while Oliver Bearman added more points for Haas. Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten despite a grid penalty. Aston Martin endured another miserable outing as both Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll retired with mechanical failures.
