George Russell delivered the win many had predicted at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but his Mercedes had to survive a tense finish to get there. Red Bull proved far stronger than expected and filled the rest of the podium, with Max Verstappen sitting in Russell’s slipstream right up to the final straight and Isack Hadjar taking third.
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli started 16th and recovered to fifth in a calculated drive, without trying to repeat his heroics at Monza. He dropped 15 points to Russell but still leads his Mercedes team-mate by 66 points.
Ferrari’s difficult summer goes on
For Ferrari, Baku extended a run of five races without a podium, the last being Charles Leclerc‘s second place in Belgium. Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton sixth.
The trouble started at the very first corner. Leclerc, who lined up on the front row next to Russell, was passed by Oscar Piastri and then came under attack from both Red Bulls. He fended off Hadjar for a while, but a few straights later the Frenchman was through, and Verstappen, having already dispatched Hamilton, went past with ease.
Safety cars shape the race
As so often in Baku, safety cars played a key role. By the time Alex Albon hit the wall on lap 31, Antonelli had already climbed to eighth.
At the restart, Verstappen took second from Piastri, while further back Franco Colapinto made an optimistic lunge on his Alpine team-mate Pierre Gasly. The collision also caught out Lando Norris, and the reigning world champion later said the Argentinian does not belong in Formula 1. Antonelli steered clear of the chaos, and a second safety car was called.
Once racing resumed, Piastri threw away a likely podium by locking up and running wide. Everyone behind moved up a place, and Antonelli gained two by passing Hamilton, before settling into fifth rather than chasing Leclerc.
Up front, Verstappen never let Russell escape. On the final lap, a crash for Valtteri Bottas brought out double yellow flags, and Verstappen used Russell’s forced slowdown to close right up, but it was not enough to steal the win.
What the drivers said
Russell said he was proud of his weekend and delighted to be back on the top step. He explained that he has refined his driving style and feels he has reached a turning point after a very difficult period. Asked about the title, he joked that with his team-mate having such an incredible season, all he can do is win every race.
Third place was an emotional result for Hadjar, back after a long absence with a wrist injury. He said he had rebuilt his confidence one step at a time.
Antonelli was frank, calling Baku his worst weekend of the year and admitting he was not happy with his own driving. Fifth, he said, was a result to accept on a day like this, and he promised to put things right at the next race in Bahrain.
At Ferrari, team principal Fred Vasseur, whose position is increasingly under pressure, said the team knew Baku’s long straights would expose its lack of top speed, but had still hoped for a better result.
