George Russell has won a chaotic 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off a late charge from Max Verstappen to take his third victory of the Formula 1 season.
The Mercedes driver converted pole position into victory around the Baku City Circuit, but what initially looked like a straightforward race became increasingly dramatic—and chaotic—as the 51 laps unfolded.
Russell had a strong start and quickly established control at the front, with Oscar Piastri initially holding second place ahead of Charles Leclerc and Isack Hadjar. Verstappen, who started only eighth after being outqualified by his returning Red Bull teammate, quickly worked his way into contention and moved ahead of Piastri.
While the Dutchman eventually closed the gap to Russell, the Mercedes driver remained ahead and crossed the finish line just 0.196 seconds clear of Verstappen.
Hadjar completed an impressive Red Bull double podium by finishing third, 10.704 seconds behind Russell. Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli recovered brilliantly to finish fifth (a crash in Qualifying saw him start in 16th).
Alexander Albon was the first major retirement after finding the barriers, while Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll also failed to finish. The biggest incident came when Franco Colapinto locked up and collided with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, with Lando Norris also caught up in the resulting chaos. All three drivers retired from the race.
Oscar Piastri also endured a frustrating afternoon. The McLaren driver had been fighting for a podium position before locking up at Turn 1 and dropping down the order, eventually finishing 14th.
While the gap between Russell and Antonelli has dropped from 81 points to 66, it still seems highly unlikely that the young Italian will fail to bounce back and win his first World Championship. Still, there are plenty of races left, and 2025 proved that F1 is nothing if not unpredictable.