Russell holds off Verstappen to win dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix

George Russell has won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, holding off Max Verstappen by 0.196 seconds to claim his third victory of the season. Russell led from start to finish for the first time in his Formula One career. His advantage appeared secure until the closing moments, when yellow flags caused by a crash involving Valtteri Bottas were shown through the old-town section of the circuit.

Russell said he lifted when the yellow flags appeared and then lost power when he returned to the throttle. That allowed Verstappen to close rapidly, but the Red Bull driver ran out of time before reaching the finish line. “It is amazing to be back on the top step of the podium,” Russell said.

He described the final stages as difficult after the safety car and acknowledged Verstappen’s late pressure. Verstappen, who started eighth, finished second. Russell’s Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli recovered from 16th on the grid to take fifth.

Oscar Piastri’s race deteriorated during the second half. The McLaren driver had started third and initially moved ahead of Charles Leclerc, but he later locked both front wheels while defending against Isack Hadjar and spun into the run-off area. He dropped from third to 15th and eventually finished 14th.

Piastri said the lock-up had taken him by surprise, adding that he had not believed he had braked especially late or hard. He called the result disappointing after a strong opening part of the race. Lando Norris retired on lap 36 after a restart collision involving Alpine drivers Franco Colapinto and Pierre Gasly.

Colapinto was given a 10-second penalty for causing the incident. The race also featured an earlier safety-car period after Alex Albon crashed, followed by the collision that eliminated Norris.