George Russell held off a relentless Max Verstappen to win the 2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in a thrilling finish at the Baku City Circuit on Sunday. The Mercedes driver started from pole and looked dominant until a safety car on lap 29, triggered by Alex Albon's crash, bunched the field. What followed was a tense battle to the flag.
Russell, driving for Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team, maintained his lead at the first restart, but a second safety car was deployed after a multi-car collision at Turn 1 involving both Alpines and Lando Norris. Verstappen, who had charged from eighth on the grid to second after passing Oscar Piastri, was now right on Russell's tail.
In the closing laps, Verstappen hounded Russell, trying every trick in the book. He got close on the final lap, even attempting a move at the last corner, but Russell defended superbly to take the win by just 0.1 seconds. It was Russell's first victory of the 2026 season and a huge boost for his championship hopes.
Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third on his return from a hand injury, while Charles Leclerc was the best Ferrari in fourth. Andrea Kimi Antonelli drove a stunning race from 16th to fifth in the other Mercedes. Lewis Hamilton finished sixth, and Arvid Lindblad snatched seventh for Racing Bulls after passing the Haas duo late on.
The race saw several incidents: Valtteri Bottas crashed out late, and both Aston Martins retired with technical issues. Oscar Piastri dropped out of the points after a lock-up, finishing 14th, a costly mistake in his title bid. The safety car periods and collisions added to the drama, but Russell kept his cool.
With this result, Russell closes the gap in the drivers' standings, while Verstappen retains the lead despite missing out on victory. Red Bull showed strong pace with Hadjar on the podium, but Mercedes had the edge in Baku. The next race promises another fierce battle.
Full race results are in the table below. Russell's narrow win over Verstappen underlines that this season will go down to the wire.
Baca Juga
Franco Colapinto menyebabkan kecelakaan beruntun di Tikungan 1 Baku, membuat Lando Norris murka dan menuntut FIA menjatuhkan sanksi skorsing.
Ferrari tanpa podium dalam 5 balapan, Vasseur tetap optimis karena lebih banyak poin dari McLaren. Simak analisis lengkapnya di sini.
Lando Norris geram dengan Franco Colapinto usai crash di GP Azerbaijan. Norris tuntut ban satu balapan untuk Colapinto. Simak kronologi dan reaksinya.
Lanjutkan dengan Google
Diskusi & Komentar (0)
Mari Bergabung dalam Diskusi!
Masuk dengan mudah untuk mulai memberikan komentar, membalas, dan berinteraksi dengan pembaca lainnya.
Komentar Terbaru
Belum ada komentar. Jadilah yang pertama!