George Russell claimed his first lights-to-flag victory with a composed drive for Mercedes in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday. The 28-year-old Briton came home just 0.196 seconds ahead of four-time champion Max Verstappen. Russell's win was his first on the fast, challenging streets of Baku and his first since the Austrian Grand Prix in June. It was also the eighth win of his career.
The race was punctuated by two safety cars, with Red Bull Racing's French driver Isack Hadjar finishing third on his return after a broken wrist. Team-mate Kimi Antonelli's lead in the drivers' championship was trimmed to 66 points after he finished fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. Antonelli had sliced through the field from 16th on the grid. Seven-time champion Lewis Hamilton was sixth in the second Ferrari.
Russell made a near-perfect start from his 12th pole position to draw clear, while Oscar Piastri took advantage of a slow-starting Leclerc to take second. Verstappen enjoyed the opening lap and passed both Alpines before powering past Hamilton, Norris, Leclerc, and finally team-mate Hadjar to rise to third. The Dutchman was grumbling about his tyres, but Russell on the same medium compound was already five seconds ahead of Piastri on softs.
By mid-distance, Russell led by 10 seconds, but grazed the wall at Turn 15. Team-mate Antonelli was up to ninth as the Red Bulls scrapped for third, making life easy for Piastri in second. The processional action ended on lap 30 when Williams' Alex Albon crashed at Turn Five, triggering a Safety Car deployment during which the leaders all pitted.
After five laps, the race resumed with Verstappen passing Piastri at Turn One. Behind him, Franco Colapinto lunged up the inside but ran out of space entering the next corner. He locked up and went sideways, pushing Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly into Lando Norris in a McLaren. The three went off the track in a synchronised slide. Both drivers for the struggling French team were in position for top-10 finishes.
A second safety car came out for three laps. After the restart, Piastri locked-up, dropping to 14th and gifting Hadjar third. Antonelli passed Hamilton with 10 laps to go to take fifth. Russell held off a late charge from Verstappen to take the win, his first since the Austrian Grand Prix in June. He credited his team for helping him through a tough moment.
Russell expressed relief and gratitude after the win, saying it was amazing to be back on the top step. Verstappen was close but could not catch up, losing a bit of boost on the final lap. Hadjar was delighted with his podium finish, his first proper one on pure pace after a long six-week injury layoff. The win moved Russell up the standings, while Antonelli maintained his lead, albeit reduced.
Key points
- George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, his first lights-to-flag victory.
- Max Verstappen finished second, 0.196 seconds behind Russell.
- Isack Hadjar took third place on his return from injury.
