George Russell beat Max Verstappen by 0.196 seconds to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday, surviving two safety-car periods and a final-lap crash in a tense Baku finish.
The Mercedes driver led all 51 laps from pole and completed Round 15 of the Formula 1 season in 1:38:02.143. His advantage reached 11 seconds before it was wiped out twice, first when Alexander Albon hit the wall and then after a restart collision involving Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris.
Verstappen closed on Russell over the final laps but couldn't get past. Isack Hadjar took third, 10.704 seconds behind the winner, to put two Red Bull drivers on the podium.
Russell controls the opening stint
Russell secured pole by beating Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds in qualifying, while championship leader Kimi Antonelli started 16th after his Q1 crash. Russell stayed ahead at the start, with Oscar Piastri taking second ahead of Leclerc.
Both Red Bull drivers made quick progress. Hadjar took fourth back from Norris before passing Leclerc, while Verstappen cleared Lewis Hamilton and then followed his teammate past the Ferrari. Red Bull instructed Hadjar to let Verstappen through, freeing the Dutchman to chase Piastri.
Russell gradually stretched his lead. Piastri, Verstappen and Hadjar remained within two seconds of each other behind him, as the McLaren driver raised concerns about his rear tires. Verstappen started to struggle on his medium tires near the first pit-stop window, while Russell stayed in command.
Antonelli initially slipped to 17th during his recovery, then passed Arvid Lindblad, Carlos Sainz and Esteban Ocon before getting by Liam Lawson and Albon. Norris locked up at Turn 5 and later surrendered sixth place to Hamilton.
Lance Stroll was the first retirement after Aston Martin told him to stop with a water-pressure problem on Lap 9. He parked safely, allowing the race to continue without a neutralization.
Albon crash wipes out Russell's advantage
Albon caused the first safety car by crashing into the wall at Turn 5. Russell's 11-second lead disappeared, and the field closed up for the restart.
The timing also hurt drivers who had already stopped. Sainz, who started 14th after a five-place penalty for a qualifying yellow-flag breach, lost time by pitting before the safety car as much of the field made a cheaper stop under neutralized conditions.
Russell retained the lead when racing resumed, but the restart was short-lived.
Colapinto takes out Gasly and Norris
Colapinto locked up at the restart and collided with Alpine teammate Gasly and Norris, putting all three drivers out. Norris had started fifth and was attempting to recover after losing ground early in the race.
The multi-car crash triggered the second safety car. Colapinto later apologized for the collision, while Norris called for the Alpine driver to receive a race ban.
Russell's cushion vanished again, leaving Verstappen directly behind the Mercedes for the closing laps. The intervention also reshaped the lower points positions and created openings for Antonelli, Lindblad and both Haas drivers.
Russell nailed the restart again.
Russell resists Verstappen's final attack
Verstappen stayed with Russell after the second restart and cut the gap over the final laps. Russell covered the inside lines when needed and took the checkered flag in 1:38:02.143, only 0.196 seconds ahead of the Red Bull.
It was Russell's third victory of the 2026 season after wins in Australia and Austria. The result also ended a winless run stretching back to the Austrian Grand Prix on June 28.
Hadjar rounded out the podium on his return from a wrist injury that had sidelined him for three races. Third place secured Red Bull's first double podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.
Leclerc placed fourth, 14.136 seconds behind Russell. Antonelli recovered from 16th to finish fifth, crossing 0.376 seconds behind the Ferrari. Hamilton had an uneventful drive to sixth, matching his starting position and finishing 22.382 seconds behind the winner.
Lindblad takes seventh after Lawson contact
Lindblad claimed seventh for Racing Bulls by passing Ocon on the run to the checkered flag. He beat the Haas by 0.030 seconds, while Oliver Bearman finished ninth, another 0.740 seconds back.
Lindblad had earlier made contact with teammate Lawson, who came home 12th. No penalty was issued to Lindblad for the incident. Nico Hulkenberg split the teammates in 11th, and Gabriel Bortoleto placed 13th for Audi.
Sainz secured the final point in 10th despite his grid penalty and the poor timing of his first stop. Haas put both cars in the points for the first time since the Monaco Grand Prix.
Piastri's early podium bid fell apart after a lockup dropped him outside the points. He finished 14th, ahead of Sergio Perez, the final classified driver.
Bottas crashes on the final lap
Valtteri Bottas struck the barriers on the final lap as Russell and Verstappen fought for the win. Officials did not deploy a virtual safety car, so the leaders raced to the line.
Bottas joined Albon, Colapinto, Gasly and Norris on the list of crash retirements. Fernando Alonso and Stroll also failed to finish after separate mechanical problems brought another difficult Aston Martin weekend to an end.
Russell's victory cut Antonelli's championship advantage to 66 points. Antonelli departs Baku on 302 points, followed by Russell on 236 and Hamilton in third on 199. Norris stays fourth with 186, ahead of Leclerc on 179 and Verstappen on 163.
Formula 1 now heads to Sepang for the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, with the Round 16 weekend set for October 2 through October 4.
