George Russell came agonisingly close to a historic feat at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but Max Verstappen stood in his way.
Russell was in imperious form from the start. He topped FP1 and FP2, then secured pole position in qualifying. In Sunday's race, he led every lap, set the fastest lap, and took victory. That completed a standard Grand Chelem, a remarkable achievement in itself.
However, one thing eluded him: being fastest in all practice sessions. In FP3 on Friday morning, Verstappen set a time of 1:43.922, beating Russell's 1:44.021 by just under a tenth of a second. That narrow defeat denied Russell the Super Grand Chelem, which requires winning, taking pole, setting the fastest lap, leading every lap, and topping every practice and qualifying session.
The Super Grand Chelem is not an official FIA classification, but it remains an ultra-rare feat. Since the current three-part qualifying format was introduced in 2006, only Lewis Hamilton has achieved it, at the 2015 Italian Grand Prix. Hamilton topped every practice and qualifying session at Monza, then won from pole and set the fastest lap. Mercedes faced a post-race tyre pressure query, but the stewards ultimately dismissed it.
Daniel Ricciardo also came close at Monaco in 2018. He secured pole, won, and led every lap, but a mid-race MGU-K failure cost his Red Bull roughly a quarter of its power. He had to manage brakes and fuel, ruling out any chance of the fastest lap.
For Russell, the result in Baku remains one of his best performances. The victory underscores Mercedes' growing competitiveness, and Russell maximised the car's potential on a challenging street circuit. Despite missing the Super Grand Chelem, he took maximum points and a confidence boost.
Meanwhile, Verstappen showed that Red Bull's speed is still a threat. Although he didn't win in Baku, he proved he is a serious contender and ready to reclaim dominance in the next race. The title fight this season is heating up with Russell and Verstappen locked in a tight battle.
Baca Juga
Klasemen F1 2026: Kimi Antonelli memimpin dengan 302 poin, disusul George Russell dan Lewis Hamilton. Simak update lengkapnya di sini.
Max Verstappen gagalkan Super Grand Chelem George Russell di F1 Azerbaijan 2026. Russell dominan tapi kalah tipis di FP3, sementara Hamilton satu-satunya yang pernah melakukannya.
George Russell memenangi F1 Azerbaijan 2026 setelah drama safety car dan insiden Tikungan 1 yang menghancurkan Alpine dan Lando Norris.
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