George Russell Holds Off Max Verstappen for Azerbaijan Grand Prix Victory

Russell withstands late Verstappen pressure in Baku

George Russell claimed his first Grand Prix victory since Austria after converting Mercedes’ pole position into a tense win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Briton built a commanding advantage during the opening phase, but two Safety Car periods repeatedly closed the field and set up a dramatic finish.

Russell faced immediate pressure from Max Verstappen after the restarts and even clipped the wall while pushing to retain control. Despite losing his Boost on the final lap, he held on to take victory, with Verstappen unable to get close enough on the straights to launch a decisive attack.

“The restart was probably the most stressful moment of the afternoon with Max right behind me,” Russell said. “From there it was all about staying focused and not making any mistakes.”

Russell said the final stint was among the most enjoyable he has experienced in Formula One, adding that the weekend had been “one of the strongest” of his career. Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord praised the winner for managing every challenge without putting a foot wrong.

Verstappen recovers to second after engine change

Verstappen’s Red Bull received a power-unit change overnight, within his season allocation, and the extra performance helped him recover to second place. He moved through the field, passed Oscar Piastri once the McLaren driver switched to the slower medium tyre, and then chased Russell for the win.

The Red Bull driver said the medium tyres had not performed as expected, but the switch to softs improved his pace significantly. Verstappen also reported that the final-lap battle tightened when Russell experienced turbo lag out of Turn 15 under yellow flags.

“We really maximised the result today and we will, of course, keep trying for a win,” Verstappen said after securing second.

Hadjar completes Red Bull double podium

Isack Hadjar finished third on his return from injury, giving Red Bull two cars on the podium. He battled closely with his team-mate during the opening stint before managing the gap after switching to medium tyres.

Hadjar described the result as an ideal comeback at a demanding circuit. He said the car had been competitive across the track and that building confidence step by step had been central to his performance.

Antonelli salvages fifth from 16th

Kimi Antonelli produced a measured recovery drive for Mercedes, climbing from 16th on the grid to fifth. He initially lost ground but avoided the crash at the first restart, then worked through an overtaking train and passed Lewis Hamilton before running out of time to challenge Charles Leclerc.

“Today was about damage limitation,” Antonelli said. “I took no unnecessary risks at all and focused on maximising the points scored for the team.” Mercedes said the result provided a strong start to its demanding triple-header and gave the team momentum heading into Malaysia.