George Russell held off a late charge from Max Verstappen to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday, taking his eighth Formula 1 victory and cutting Kimi Antonelli’s lead in the drivers’ championship to 66 points.
The Mercedes driver had looked comfortable for much of the race after starting from pole, building a sizeable advantage over the field. That changed after the Safety Car intervention, which brought Verstappen back into contention and set up a close fight for victory in the closing stages.
Verstappen, who had started eighth, steadily closed the gap to Russell and put the Mercedes driver under pressure in the final laps. Russell held his nerve to cross the line just 0.196 seconds ahead of the four-time world champion and claim his third victory of the season.
Hadjar completes Red Bull double podium
Red Bull enjoyed a strong weekend in Baku, with Verstappen finishing second and Isack Hadjar taking third on his return to Formula 1.
Hadjar had missed the previous three Grands Prix while recovering from a wrist injury, but immediately returned to the front of the field after qualifying fourth. He maintained his strong pace throughout the race to secure his second podium of the season, finishing 10.704 seconds behind Russell.
Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, while Antonelli produced one of the race’s biggest recoveries.
The championship leader started 16th after damaging his Mercedes in qualifying but worked his way through the field to finish fifth. Lewis Hamilton followed in sixth for Ferrari, while Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad took seventh.
Esteban Ocon finished eighth for Haas, with teammate Oliver Bearman ninth. Carlos Sainz completed the top 10 for Williams after recovering from his five-place grid penalty for failing to slow sufficiently for yellow flags during qualifying.
Russell closes the championship gap
The victory gives Russell another important points haul in his fight with Antonelli at the top of the championship.
Antonelli had arrived in Baku with an 81-point advantage over his teammate after winning eight of the first 14 races. Russell’s victory, combined with Antonelli’s fifth-place finish, reduces that gap to 66 points with the season moving into its later stages.
For Antonelli, recovering from 16th to fifth limited the damage after his qualifying incident, while Russell took full advantage of his pole position to secure the win.
The result also gives Mercedes another strong points haul in both championships, further strengthening their hold on both drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
