George Russell holds off Max Verstappen to win chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Mercedes driver George Russell claimed his third victory of the 2026 Formula 1 season at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after successfully defending against a late charge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen. Starting from pole position, Russell built a lead of over ten seconds before the Safety Car was deployed on Lap 31 following a crash by Williams driver Alex Albon. Russell managed the subsequent restart well, while Verstappen used a slipstream to pass Oscar Piastri and take second place. The race was neutralised a second time when Alpine driver Franco Colapinto locked up at Turn 1, taking out his teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren's Lando Norris. In the closing stages, Russell crossed the finish line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen. Reflecting on the race, Russell said it was one of the strongest weekends of his career, noting that the restart with Verstappen right behind him was the most stressful moment of the afternoon. Red Bull secured its first double podium of the season as Isack Hadjar finished third in an impressive return. Hadjar had spent six weeks out of action and missed the last three races recovering from a wrist injury sustained during training. Expressing satisfaction with his performance, Hadjar stated that he could not have asked for a better comeback. Meanwhile, championship leader Kimi Antonelli fought his way from a sixteenth-place grid start to finish fifth, splitting Ferrari drivers Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, who finished fourth and sixth respectively. Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad took seventh place ahead of Haas drivers Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, while Williams driver Carlos Sainz rounded out the top ten. It proved to be a chaotic race with seven drivers retiring, resulting in zero points for McLaren. Colapinto's crash forced Norris out of the race, prompting Norris to remark that some drivers should not be in F1. Colapinto received a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming race in Malaysia. McLaren's Oscar Piastri also suffered a lock-up at Turn 1 that dropped him down the order to finish thirteenth. In the championship standings, Russell narrowed Antonelli's lead from 81 points to 66 points following his victory, while Hamilton maintained third place overall. Formula 1 will next head to Malaysia for an event scheduled from October 2 to 4, which will be funded by Bahrain and held under the Bahrain Grand Prix name.