George Russell closed out the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026 weekend with a victory full of drama. The Mercedes driver successfully converted pole position into a win, despite having to fend off late pressure from Max Verstappen. This was Russell's eighth career F1 win, and his first lights-to-flag success.
The race at Baku City Circuit was no easy ride for Russell. He built a lead of over 10 seconds before Alex Albon's crash at Turn 5 triggered the first safety car. After that, he had to face two restarts and nearly lost the win on the final lap when he lifted for a yellow flag at Turn 15, causing him to lose turbo power. Verstappen closed to within 0.196 seconds at the chequered flag.
For Russell, it was a near-perfect weekend. He topped the first two practice sessions and all three qualifying sessions, then set the fastest lap in the race. Only Verstappen denied him a 'super grand chelem' after the Red Bull driver went fastest in FP3. The win also cut Russell's gap to teammate Kimi Antonelli to 66 points at the top of the drivers' standings.
Meanwhile, Isack Hadjar stole the spotlight by taking his first 'proper' podium on his return from a six-week wrist injury. The Red Bull driver ran an offset strategy on soft tyres and stayed close to Verstappen in the opening stint. The team's decision to hold track position paid off when the safety cars fell his way, and he capitalised on Oscar Piastri's restart error to snatch third. The result came days after his contract for next year was confirmed, a timely reminder of why Red Bull backed him.
Haas once again demonstrated strategic prowess in a chaotic race. Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman started on soft tyres before pitting for mediums under the lap 30 safety car. The pair then rode the second restart to finish eighth and ninth, pushing Haas 10 points clear of Audi in the fight for seventh in the constructors' standings. This is becoming a pattern: Haas are always sharp in the midfield on chaotic afternoons.
But the race turned into a nightmare for Alpine. Franco Colapinto locked up under braking on the first restart and collided with teammate Pierre Gasly at Turn 1. Both cars were eliminated on the spot, and the incident also collected Lando Norris. Colapinto was handed a five-place grid penalty for the upcoming Bahrain Grand Prix in place of a 10-second time penalty he could not serve in Baku. The double DNF cost Alpine dearly, losing ground to Racing Bulls in the constructors' standings, and Colapinto's future is in question after team boss Flavio Briatore said he would consider what course of action to take with his driver.
Lando Norris was also a big loser. His weekend soured in qualifying when he went off track and triggered a yellow flag that compromised his final lap, leaving him fifth on the grid. In the race, he was immediately taken out by the Turn 1 pile-up caused by Colapinto's lock-up. Norris later lashed out at the standard of driving that caused the incident and called for the FIA to consider race bans for such carelessness. His comments made him the target of online abuse from Colapinto fans.
Alex Albon also had a bitter pill to swallow. His race ended in the barriers at Turn 5 on lap 31, the crash that triggered the first safety car and changed the entire complexion of the race. With Williams bringing a raft of updates, ending the race with a heavily damaged car was a major setback for a team enduring a torrid season. Teammate Carlos Sainz at least salvaged a point with 10th, ending a nine-race pointless streak, while Albon extended his own pointless run to nine races.
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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