Russell Holds Off Verstappen in Chaotic Azerbaijan Grand Prix

George Russell claimed his third victory of 2026 in Baku on September 26, surviving two Safety Cars and a last-lap attack from Max Verstappen to win by just 0.196 seconds. Isack Hadjar completed a Red Bull double podium, followed by Charles Leclerc, championship leader Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton.

Russell controlled the opening half from pole, building a lead of nearly 10 seconds as Oscar Piastri defended second from the two Red Bulls. Tire degradation was minimal, making the soft and medium compounds viable for long stints, although the soft ultimately delivered better grip and restart performance.

Alex Albon’s crash erased Russell’s advantage and allowed Red Bull to double-stack its drivers under the first Safety Car. Verstappen, now on the faster soft tire, displaced the medium-shod Piastri at the restart. A second Safety Car followed when Franco Colapinto locked up, hit Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly and sent Gasly into Lando Norris, eliminating all three. Colapinto’s penalty converts into a five-place grid drop for the next race.

Piastri then locked up at Turn 1 after the second restart and fell from third to 13th. That left Verstappen free to attack Russell, but the Mercedes driver resisted until the line despite losing boost on the final lap. Verstappen’s recovery from eighth and Hadjar’s second podium of the season made this Red Bull’s strongest weekend of 2026—and suggested its upgrades have moved the car considerably closer to Mercedes.

Antonelli recovered from 16th after his qualifying crash to finish fifth, limiting the championship damage. Russell cuts the lead from 81 points to 66, with Antonelli on 302 and Russell on 236. Hamilton is 103 behind, while Norris, Leclerc and Verstappen are 116, 123 and 139 points adrift respectively. With nine rounds remaining, Russell is now the only clear, credible challenger; Hamilton retains an outside chance, while the others increasingly need multiple Antonelli failures. Mercedes leads Ferrari by 160 points in the Constructors’ Championship. Ferrari remains the only plausible challenger, although Mercedes is firmly in control; McLaren and Red Bull are now 232 and 275 points behind.

Haas produced its best result since Monaco and was the only midfield team to score with both cars. Esteban Ocon finished eighth and Oliver Bearman ninth, earning six points despite completing the final stint on mediums while most surrounding cars had faster softs. Ocon’s balance improved after his stop, and both drivers absorbed heavy late pressure from Carlos Sainz and Nico Hülkenberg. The result moves Haas 10 points clear of Audi in seventh and provides meaningful evidence that its recent performance gains are translating into race results.

Cadillac again showed flashes without threatening the points. Sergio Pérez rose from the back to 14th and fought several established midfield cars, but described himself as a “sitting duck” because of excessive drag and weak straight-line speed. Valtteri Bottas struggled for pace before an apparent harvesting or braking problem preceded his penultimate-lap crash at Turn 15. Cadillac remains last and scoreless; Pérez’s competitive first stint offered encouragement, but the absence of major forthcoming upgrades makes a late-season breakthrough increasingly difficult.