Russell holds off Verstappen by 0.196s in Baku thriller

Lights out in Baku, and George Russell never looked back. The Mercedes driver turned pole position into a lights-to-flag victory at the Baku City Circuit — but the final laps were anything but comfortable, with Max Verstappen’s Red Bull filling his mirrors all the way to the chequered flag. The winning margin: 0.196 seconds.

Russell survives two restarts and a Verstappen onslaught

Russell’s afternoon was a study in control under pressure. He led away cleanly from pole, then had to nail two safety-car restarts as the race neutralised twice — first when Alex Albon crashed his Williams at Turn 5, and again after a multi-car incident in which Franco Colapinto locked up and hit Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly, with Lando Norris caught up in the wreckage.

Verstappen, meanwhile, was carving through from eighth on the grid, after an engine problem in qualifying. By the closing stages he was the only car that mattered, the gap swinging between a few tenths and a second as he probed for a way past. On the final lap a yellow flag briefly cost Russell his boost and Verstappen nearly got through, but Russell held on to take his third win of 2026, and he also set the race’s fastest lap, a 1:44.916.

Hadjar’s comeback podium

The quiet story of the day was Isack Hadjar. Back in the Red Bull after a wrist injury kept him out of Zandvoort, Monza and the new Madring, he brought the car home third, 10.704s behind the winner, giving Red Bull its first double podium since 2024. Read the full feature: Hadjar’s Comeback Podium.

Antonelli limits the damage

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli hit the wall at Turn 1 in qualifying, started 16th and dropped to 17th on the opening lap. What followed was the drive of the midfield: the 20-year-old climbed all the way to fifth, just four seconds off the podium with eight laps remaining. He only lost 15 points to his team-mate on a day that could have been far worse.

McLaren’s miserable Saturday

It was a day to forget for McLaren. Norris was out after the Colapinto incident, and Oscar Piastri finished 13th, out of the points. Aston Martin also had a double retirement, with both Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso stopped by technical problems, and Valtteri Bottas’s Cadillac didn’t make the finish, although he was still classified 16th.

Further down the order, Arvid Lindblad took seventh for Racing Bulls, Haas scored with both cars (Esteban Ocon P8, Oliver Bearman P9), and Carlos Sainz took the final point for Williams.

What it means for the championship

Antonelli still leads on 302 points, but Russell’s win cuts the gap to 66 points (236) with eight rounds left. More than 200 points are still available. Mercedes lead the constructors’ table with 538 points, 160 clear of Ferrari. See the full standings and our analysis: Antonelli’s 66-Point Cushion, Examined.

Next up: the Bahrain Grand Prix, relocated to Sepang, Malaysia (4 October) — read the preview.