Marco Rossi · F1-Korrespondent
Two safety car periods, a mangled barrier in Turn One, and a final sprint down Baku's long straight: the Azerbaijan Grand Prix delivered exactly what street racing has promised for years.
George Russell claimed his third win of the season on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at the Baku City Circuit, edging out Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds after 51 laps in the Red Bull. The Mercedes driver's victory came in a race marked by two safety car deployments and several major incidents. According to reports, the race was unusually held on Saturday to avoid conflict with Azerbaijan's national memorial day on September 27.
Two safety cars and a shattered barrier
Russell made a clean start from pole and held the lead through Turn One while McLaren's Oscar Piastri kept the field at bay behind him. At the front, Russell built a comfortable margin that would normally decide races of this nature. But Baku is a track that rarely keeps its promises through the first thirty laps.
According to reports, Alexander Albon crashed heavily with his Williams in lap 29, bringing the first safety car onto the circuit and erasing Russell's cushion in an instant. On the restart, Franco Colapinto braked too late before Turn One, collided with Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, and took Lando Norris with him into the wall. All three retired, prompting a second safety car, and Verstappen used the chaos of the restart to slip past Piastri into second place, as reported.
Hadjar and Antonelli: two roads back to the front
Isack Hadjar finished third, securing Red Bull what was reported as the team's first double podium of the season. For the young Red Bull driver, who recently returned to the cockpit following a hand injury, this result carries weight beyond the points alone—it suggests the form curve is bending back upward.
Even more remarkable was Andrea Kimi Antonelli's recovery drive. According to reports, a qualifying accident had left him starting 16th, yet the championship leader charged through to fifth place and limited the damage to his title lead. Further back in the field, Haas scored its first double points since Monaco with Esteban Ocon in eighth and Oliver Bearman in ninth, while the FIA issued penalties to Carlos Sainz and Arvid Lindblad following investigations into Friday incidents, though these did not affect their Baku results.
The final dash and what it means for the championship
When the safety car peeled off in the closing stages, Verstappen opened the throttle and attacked Russell immediately. According to reports, he clipped the wall in lap 47 but stayed within DRS range, hanging tight to the Mercedes down the 2.2-kilometer straight.
As reported, Russell threaded his car carefully through the tight castle corner and managed his battery power so effectively that he kept Verstappen at bay when it mattered most; his final margin stood at just 0.196 seconds.
For the title fight, this afternoon means one thing above all: Antonelli remains at the top of the drivers' championship as reported, yet his teammate Russell has noticeably cut into that lead with this victory. Mercedes extended its constructors' advantage over Ferrari and Red Bull, with both Silver Arrows finishing inside the top five. How this shift shapes the remaining races will only become clear once Baku and its concrete walls fade into the history books.
