George Russell re-entered the world championship conversation by holding off Max Verstappen to win Saturday’s nail-biting Azerbaijan Grand Prix by just one tenth of a second – as title rival Kimi Antonelli finished fifth.
Russell all but raised the white flag after the last round in Madrid where Antonelli claimed his eighth victory of the year to extend his title advantage to 81 points.
But the British driver has been in inspired form on the streets of Baku, charging to pole position before navigating his way through two safety car periods, and Verstappen’s late advances, to take his third win of the campaign and his first since the Austrian Grand Prix, 90 days ago.
Russell trims Antonelli’s title lead to 66 points with 208 still to play for across the scheduled remaining eight rounds. It was damage limitation for Antonelli after his qualifying crash left him 16th on the grid. Antonelli was in the points by the 16th lap and a safety car, deployed on the 31st lap after Alex Albon crashed out, fortuitously propelled him onto the back of the leading drivers.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Driver standings after Azerbaijan GP
1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) - 302 points
2. George Russell (Mercedes) - 236 points
3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) - 199 points
4. Lando Norris (McLaren) - 186 points
5. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) - 179 points
6. Max Verstappen (Red Bull) - 163 points
7. Oscar Piastri (McLaren) - 120 points
8. Isack Hadjar (Racing Bulls) - 86 points
9. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls) - 59 points
10. Pierre Gasly (Alpine) - 41 points
11. Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) - 37 points
12. Franco Colapinto (Alpine) - 27 points
13. Ollie Bearman (Haas) - 20 points
14. Gabriel Bortoleto (Audi) - 10 points
15. Esteban Ocon (Haas) - 7 points
16. Nico Hulkenberg (Audi) - 7 points
17. Carlos Sainz (Williams) - 7 points
18. Alex Albon (Williams) - 5 points
19. Fernando Alonso (Aston Martin) - 3 points
20. Yuki Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) - 1 point
21. Lance Stroll (Aston Martin) - 0 points
22. Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) - 0 points
23. Sergio Perez (Cadillac) - 0 points
Driver standings after Azerbaijan GP
1. Mercedes - 538 points
2. Ferrari - 378 points
3. McLaren - 306 points
4. Red Bull - 263 points
5. Racing Bulls - 83 points
6. Alpine - 68 points
7. Haas - 27 points
8. Audi - 17 points
9. Williams - 12 points
10. Aston Martin - 3 points
11. Cadillac - 0 points
What is the 2026 race calendar?
ROUND 16 - MALAYSIA/BAHRAIN
Sepang International Circuit - 2-4 October
ROUND 17 - SINGAPORE (sprint weekend)
Marina Bay Street Circuit - 9-11 October
ROUND 18 - UNITED STATES
Circuit of the Americas, Austin - 23-25 October
ROUND 19 - MEXICO
Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez, Mexico City - 30 October-1 November
ROUND 20 - BRAZIL
Interlagos Circuit, Sao Paulo - 6-8 November
ROUND 21 - LAS VEGAS
Las Vegas Street Circuit - 19-21 November
ROUND 22 - QATAR
Lusail International Circuit - 27-29 November
ROUND 23 - ABU DHABI
Yas Marina Circuit - 4-6 December
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