George Russell held off Max Verstappen by one tenth of a second to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. It was his third victory of 2026 and it came at the end of one of the most chaotic races of the season.
Seven drivers did not finish. Two safety cars. And Verstappen, closing on the final laps, could not find the tenth he needed.
0.1 Seconds Around Baku
The margin is the story. Baku is a street circuit with a long main straight that produces some of the biggest slipstream effects on the calendar, which means a car behind on the last lap has a legitimate chance. Verstappen had that chance and Russell denied it.
Holding a Verstappen attack over a full lap at a circuit built for overtaking is the kind of drive that defines a season. Russell had to be perfect through the castle section and precise on the exit onto the straight, and he was.
The Race Fell Apart Behind Them
Alex Albon made an error that brought out the first safety car. Franco Colapinto then locked up and took out both Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris in one incident, triggering the second.
The retirement list reads like a grid sheet: Albon, Colapinto, Norris, Gasly, Valtteri Bottas, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Seven cars gone.
Piastri’s Day Was a Disaster
Oscar Piastri ran in podium contention for most of the afternoon and finished 14th. A late lock-up dropped him out of the points entirely.
That is a brutal way to lose a podium, and in a championship fight those are the results that end title bids. Running third for 40 laps and scoring nothing is worse than a mechanical failure, because the pace was there.
Hadjar and Antonelli Cashed In
Isack Hadjar took third for Red Bull, giving the team a double podium alongside Verstappen’s second place. That is the kind of result that validates a young driver’s promotion.
Kimi Antonelli produced the drive of the day in raw terms, climbing from P16 to fifth. Chaos rewards drivers who stay out of it, and Antonelli navigated a race that consumed seven cars without putting a wheel wrong.
Verstappen Is Still Looking for a Win
This is the detail that reframes the whole season. Russell’s victory denied Verstappen what would have been his first win of 2026.
Consider what that means. The driver who dominated the sport for years arrived at Baku still without a victory this season, got himself into position to take one, and lost by a tenth. Red Bull got a double podium out of it, which softens the blow for the team but not for him.
Russell Is Having the Season He Needed
Three wins and a drive like this one is the answer to every question that has followed Russell about whether he can lead a team rather than support one. Mercedes has a driver who wins under pressure at circuits where mistakes are unforgiving.
Baku produced seven retirements and a one-tenth finish. Russell was the one who kept it together.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.