Temi Kings
George Russell held off a relentless late attack from Max Verstappen to secure a thrilling victory at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Starting from pole position, the Mercedes driver appeared in total control through the opening stints of the race. However, a late-race Safety Car deployed for Alex Albon’s wall impact erased Russell's comfortable 10-second buffer, setting up a chaotic sprint finish on the streets of Baku.
When racing resumed, a secondary collision triggered by Alpine’s Franco Colapinto taking out teammate Pierre Gasly, which also caught McLaren’s Lando Norris in the crossfire, neutralized the field once again. On the final restart, Russell suffered a temporary loss of turbo power coming off the final corner, allowing Verstappen to draw alongside in a dramatic drag race to the chequered flag. Russell held on by a margin of just 0.196 seconds.
It was a weekend to forget for McLaren as both drivers collapsed out of contention. Lando Norris was running inside the top five when his race came to a sudden halt on Lap 36 following Colapinto’s lock-up into Turn 1. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri held a virtual podium position for over 35 laps before being passed by Verstappen. Four laps later, while defending fourth place from Isack Hadjar, Piastri locked his front tyres on the main straight, running wide into the escape road and dropping 12 positions in a single incident to cross the line in 14th.
Red Bull enjoyed a strong afternoon despite starting further down the grid. Max Verstappen, who started eighth, showcased extraordinary race pace to carve through the field. Teammate Isack Hadjar, returning to the cockpit after missing three rounds due to a fractured wrist, delivered a flawless drive to finish third, securing Red Bull’s first double-podium of the 2026 season ahead of Charles Leclerc in fourth.
Current Drivers' Championship leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli staged an impressive recovery from a difficult qualifying session. After starting a distant 16th due to a yellow-flag disruption, the teenage sensation capitalized on street-circuit chaos and executed clean overtakes to finish fifth, minimizing the point erosion to his teammate Russell.
Following the race, Russell admitted he thought the victory had slipped away on the final straight. He explained that coming out of the last turn, he momentarily lost turbo power after lifting for the yellow light, leaving him with zero energy deployment as Verstappen pulled alongside. Despite the scare, Russell managed to keep his nose ahead at the line, securing a memorable win in Baku.