The Azerbaijan GP 2026 was won by George Russell for Mercedes, with Max Verstappen finishing second and Isack Hadjar completing the podium.
Russell converted pole position into victory around the Baku City Circuit, crossing the line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen after a tense final stint. It was an important win for the Mercedes driver as he took a sizeable chunk out of team mate Kimi Antonelli’s championship advantage.
The result also delivered Hadjar another podium for Red Bull, while Charles Leclerc and Kimi Antonelli completed the top five.
Who won the Azerbaijan GP 2026?
George Russell won the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Mercedes, taking victory from pole after controlling the majority of the race in Baku.
The British driver had looked quick throughout the weekend and immediately established an advantage once the race began. Russell pulled clear during the opening stint and, before the Safety Car changed the shape of the race, had built a lead of around 11 seconds.
That advantage disappeared when Alex Albon crashed and triggered a Safety Car, bringing Verstappen back into contention. A second Safety Car shortly afterwards compressed the field once again, setting up a direct fight between the two for victory.
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Verstappen stayed within a second for much of the closing stint but could not find a way past. Russell’s straight-line speed made overtaking particularly difficult, and he kept the Red Bull behind despite intense pressure.
Azerbaijan GP 2026 full podium
The podium from the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix was:
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
Only 0.196 seconds separated Russell and Verstappen at the finish, making it one of the closest victories of the 2026 season.
Hadjar finished 10.704 seconds behind the winner in third, completing a double podium for Red Bull. The Frenchman had been competitive throughout the weekend and backed up his strong qualifying performance with another significant result.
How George Russell won the Azerbaijan GP
Russell’s Azerbaijan GP victory was built on pace, track position and a strong defence during the decisive final phase.
Starting from pole, the Mercedes driver made a clean getaway and quickly moved outside attacking range of the cars behind. Oscar Piastri initially ran second for McLaren, while Verstappen had to work his way forward from eighth on the grid.
As Russell opened his lead, Verstappen fought through the pack and eventually emerged as the main challenger. The Safety Car caused by Albon’s crash wiped away Russell’s comfortable advantage and gave the Red Bull driver a genuine opportunity.
A chaotic restart then produced another accident involving Lando Norris, Pierre Gasly and Franco Colapinto, bringing the Safety Car back out. Once racing resumed again, Russell had to withstand sustained pressure from Verstappen.
The gap eventually fell below half a second, but Verstappen could not get sufficiently close at the end of Baku’s long main straight. Russell kept the lead and was ultimately helped by yellow flags on the final lap after Valtteri Bottas hit the barriers.
What happened to Max Verstappen?
Verstappen came within two tenths of winning the Azerbaijan GP after producing a strong recovery from eighth on the grid.
The Red Bull driver had shown pace throughout the weekend but qualified lower than expected after his final Q3 effort was disrupted. A fresh power unit helped his race performance, and Verstappen steadily moved through the field before emerging as Russell’s closest challenger.
He spent the final laps directly behind the Mercedes, at times separated by only four tenths of a second. However, Russell’s speed on the straights prevented Verstappen from getting close enough to attempt a realistic move into Turn 1.
The late yellow flags removed his final opportunity, leaving Verstappen second by just 0.196 seconds.
What happened to Kimi Antonelli?
Antonelli recovered to fifth after starting well down the order following a qualifying mistake.
The championship leader had damaged his car in Q1 and started 16th, leaving him with a substantial recovery job around a circuit where overtaking proved more difficult than expected. He gradually worked his way into the points before the Safety Cars brought him closer to the leading group.
Antonelli survived the chaotic restart but picked up floor damage after contact with a Haas car. Despite that, he overtook Lewis Hamilton late on and closed rapidly on Leclerc for fourth.
He ultimately finished fifth, just 0.376 seconds behind the Ferrari. That limited the championship damage, although Russell’s victory still produced a significant points swing between the two Mercedes drivers.
Azerbaijan GP 2026 top 10
The top 10 finishers in the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix were:
- George Russell – Mercedes
- Max Verstappen – Red Bull
- Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
- Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
- Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari
- Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls
- Esteban Ocon – Haas
- Oliver Bearman – Haas
- Carlos Sainz – Williams
Lindblad grabbed seventh on the final lap after passing Ocon, while Bearman gave Haas a double points finish. Sainz rounded out the top 10 after starting further back following his qualifying grid penalty.
What the Azerbaijan GP result means for the championship
The Azerbaijan GP 2026 result was particularly important for Russell’s championship hopes.
Antonelli arrived in Baku with an 81-point lead over his Mercedes team mate, but Russell’s victory combined with Antonelli’s fifth place reduced that advantage. It was exactly the type of result Russell needed as the number of remaining races begins to decrease.
For Red Bull, second and third represented one of the team’s strongest combined results of the season. Verstappen came agonisingly close to his first Grand Prix victory of 2026, while Hadjar continued his impressive return with another podium.
Ferrari took fourth and sixth with Leclerc and Hamilton, while McLaren endured a difficult race with Piastri finishing outside the points and Norris retiring following the restart incident.
But the answer to the main search question is simple. George Russell won the Azerbaijan GP 2026.
