George Russell led from start to finish en route to victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Firmly in command for the majority of the race, Russell’s advantage was undone by a late-race safety car. The Mercedes driver faced stern pressure from Max Verstappen in the closing stages and suffered a late scare when his turbo lost boost on the final lap. Even so, Russell held on to take victory by just one tenth of a second, the eighth of his career and his first since Austria back in June.
Meanwhile, Verstappen was a man on a mission. With the Red Bull RB22 showing solid race pace, Verstappen made steady progress and, in the final safety-car restart, passed Oscar Piastri for second. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't overhaul George Russell for the lead and had to make do with a seventh podium of the season.
Behind him, Isack Hadjar had a commendable return to action. Starting fourth, Hadjar passed Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc during the opening exchanges. Verstappen overtook him on lap seven, but Hadjar kept up on the soft tyres. Despite an extended dialogue with the team, the decision was made not to employ team orders. Hadjar switched to the mediums under the safety car but couldn't keep pace with Verstappen. The Red Bull driver stayed out of trouble and duly secured his second podium of the season.
Ferrari couldn't match Mercedes and Red Bull. Charles Leclerc finished fourth, two places ahead of his teammate Lewis Hamilton, who lost out to a resurgent Kimi Antonelli on lap 43. Starting 16th after a costly mistake in qualifying yesterday, Antonelli made steady progress through the field. Benefiting slightly from the safety car, Antonelli secured fifth and leaves Baku with a 66-point championship lead.
Arvid Lindblad survived a coming together with his teammate Liam Lawson on lap 35 and pulled off an audacious move on Ollie Bearman to finish seventh. Esteban Ocon secured eighth, while Bearman helped Haas to its first double points finish of the season.
Carlos Sainz secured his first points since Canada in tenth. Nico Hulkenberg finished 11th ahead of a frustrated Liam Lawson. Gabriel Bortoleto took 13th, while Oscar Piastri’s hopes of a podium disappeared with a costly turn one lockup on lap 40.
Sergio Perez was the last car across the line, while his teammate Valtteri Bottas crashed out on the final lap. An ill-timed move by Franco Colapinto at the safety car restart triggered a multi-car incident that took him, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris out of the race. Alex Albon triggered the safety car with a crash on lap 31, while mechanical issues ended both Aston Martin drivers’ afternoons.
Antonelli is still the firm favourite for the title. However, if Russell’s performance this weekend is anything to go by, the now eight-time race winner is not going to take this lying down.
