George Russell has done it again. The Mercedes driver held off a late Max Verstappen attack to win a chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix by just 0.196 seconds. Baku, you really do know how to keep things interesting.
Russell started from pole and looked completely in control for much of the race, but a couple of safety cars and some spectacular Turn 1 drama turned what looked like a straightforward Mercedes victory into a proper nail-biter.
And when we say nail-biter, we mean Russell crossed the line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
After putting his Mercedes on pole by a huge margin in qualifying, Russell made a clean getaway and immediately settled into the lead. He stayed out front through the first half of the race, while Oscar Piastri and the Red Bulls battled behind him.
Then Baku decided it had been far too peaceful.
Alex Albon put his car into the wall on Lap 30, bunching the field back together and giving everyone a free invitation to panic about strategy, seeing some serious pit lane chaos.
The second Safety Car arrived just six laps later, after Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly tangled at Turn 1, with Lando Norris getting caught up in the chaos. Slightly further back, Liam Lawson was dragged down the places after teammate Lindblad made contact with him, too. That drama saw Colapinto, Gasly, and Norris all out.
And because apparently Baku wasn’t finished with its nonsense, Oscar Piastri then went deep into Turn 1 while defending against Isack Hadjar, dropping himself out of podium contention.
While everyone else was busy throwing their afternoon into the nearest wall, Isack Hadjar quietly put together a seriously impressive race. The Red Bull driver finished third, taking the final spot on the podium behind Russell and Verstappen. It was an especially notable result for Hadjar, who was returning to the Red Bull cockpit following a wrist injury, and he managed to hold off Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc to secure third.
Leclerc finished fourth, followed by Kimi Antonelli, who pulled off a huge recovery drive from 16th on the grid after crashing out of Baku qualifying.
Lewis Hamilton completed the top six for Ferrari.
It was a weekend to forget for McLaren, with neither Piastri nor Norris scoring a point, and Piastri finishing 13th after his late mistake. For a team that has spent much of the season fighting, Baku was very much a close the laptop, pretend it never happened kind of weekend.
Meanwhile, Russell takes his third victory of the 2026 season and another huge chunk of momentum as the championship heads into the final stretch.
Baku delivered chaos, crashes, heartbreak, and a finish close enough to make everyone watching forget how to breathe.
Honestly? We wouldn’t have it any other way. 🏁💅