Azerbaijan GP Results 2026: Full Race Classification

George Russell won the 2026 Azerbaijan GP after resisting intense late pressure from Max Verstappen in a dramatic finish around the streets of Baku.

The Mercedes driver converted pole position into victory, crossing the line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen after the Red Bull Racing driver closed onto his gearbox in the final laps.

Isack Hadjar completed an excellent comeback weekend with third in the second Red Bull Racing, while Charles Leclerc took fourth for Ferrari.

Championship leader Kimi Antonelli recovered from his qualifying disaster to finish fifth, limiting the damage as Russell reduced his deficit in the standings by 15 points.

2026 Azerbaijan GP results

Russell holds off Verstappen after late Safety Car drama

Russell controlled the opening phase after getting a clean launch from pole and immediately opening a gap over Oscar Piastri, who jumped Leclerc at the start.

The Mercedes driver gradually stretched his advantage and had opened a gap of around 11 seconds before Alexander Albon crashed, triggering a Safety Car and wiping away the cushion he had built.

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That brought virtually the entire field into the pits and transformed the closing stages into a sprint to the finish.

Russell retained the lead on the restart, but another incident followed almost immediately as Franco Colapinto arrived too quickly at Turn 1 and became involved in a collision with teammate Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris. All three were eliminated and the Safety Car returned.

When racing resumed again, Verstappen had climbed into second and began applying serious pressure to the race leader. Less than half a second separated the pair at times, with Verstappen stronger through parts of the lap but unable to get close enough down Baku’s long straight to make a move.

The Dutchman touched the wall during the chase but continued, while Russell kept his composure through the closing laps.

A late crash for Valtteri Bottas brought out yellow flags on the final lap, effectively ending Verstappen’s last opportunity and allowing Russell to take victory by only 0.196s.

Antonelli recovers to fifth as Hadjar takes podium

Antonelli faced a major recovery drive after his qualifying crash left him down the order, and progress initially proved more difficult than expected.

The championship leader picked his way through the midfield before the Safety Car brought him back into contention, eventually climbing into the top 10 and switching onto the soft tyre for the final phase.

He then survived the chaotic first restart, where several cars collided around him, although contact with a Haas F1 Team car left him carrying floor damage.

Despite that setback, Antonelli passed Lewis Hamilton for fifth late on and closed rapidly onto Leclerc, ultimately finishing only 0.376s behind the Ferrari. The recovery restricted Russell’s championship gain to 15 points, reducing Antonelli’s lead from 81 points to 66.

Further ahead, Hadjar delivered one of his strongest performances of the season in third on his first Grand Prix weekend back from injury.

The Frenchman ran close to Verstappen throughout the opening half of the race and briefly appeared capable of challenging his teammate before tyre strategies and the Safety Car periods reshuffled the order.

Arvid Lindblad led the midfield home in seventh for Racing Bulls, passing Esteban Ocon on the final lap. Oliver Bearman gave Haas F1 Team a second points finish in ninth, with Carlos Sainz recovering to 10th for Williams.

It was a much tougher afternoon for McLaren, with Norris retiring in the Turn 1 collision and Piastri eventually dropping to 14th after a late lock-up destroyed his chances of a strong finish.

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