George Russell fully earned victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after a weekend in which the Mercedes driver appeared to have an extra gear from his very first kilometres on track. Yet the final result tells a rather different story: just 0.196 seconds separated George Russell from a charging Max Verstappen at the chequered flag.
After controlling the opening part of the race, the kind of late drama for which Baku has become renowned suddenly brought the four-time Formula 1 world champion back into contention. Max Verstappen closed rapidly on the Mercedes, ensuring that a victory which had looked comfortable for much of the afternoon was anything but guaranteed by the finish.
George Russell takes first F1 grand slam after dominant Baku weekend
Just 0.196 seconds. That was the final margin at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. On an unusual Saturday race day, George Russell secured his third victory of the season and returned to the top step of the podium for the first time in almost three months.
Although George Russell had dominated much of the weekend, including a commanding performance in Baku qualifying, victory still required a tense finish. Late-race chaos brought Max Verstappen back into contention, with the Red Bull driver remaining close behind the Mercedes all the way to the line.
“It was incredible to be back on the top step of the podium,” George Russell said after the race. “The first half of the race was pretty straightforward, then after the Safety Car restart, especially when I saw Max behind me, I thought it wasn’t going to be easy. He drove incredibly until the end. Then when the yellow flag came out I lifted off and when I got back on the throttle I had no turbo and no more power and Max almost got me on the line. It would have been a shame, but overall it was an incredible weekend.”
“It was the most dominant weekend of my career,” George Russell added during the post-race press conference.
Baku also delivered the first grand slam of George Russell’s Formula 1 career, completing a weekend in which the British driver appeared completely at ease with the Mercedes W17. It provided another demonstration of the performance potential already highlighted by the Mercedes W17’s dominant form during the 2026 season.
“I don’t think I ever lost that confidence in myself, even during the difficult moments I knew there was a reason why I was off the pace,” George Russell explained. “I hadn’t suddenly forgotten how to drive, I knew I would be able to find that confidence again. I just had to be patient. In the four races since the break I’ve been on the front row three times and I’ve had three podiums. I feel like I can fight for the win week in, week out now.”
George Russell looks ahead to Mercedes upgrade package in Malaysia
Formula 1 will immediately move on to Malaysia in a few days, where Mercedes is set to introduce a new development package for the W17. The upgrades arrive at a time when the team is already showing considerable strength, particularly at circuits requiring lower aerodynamic downforce.
“I’m looking forward to it, the upgrades will be a step forward. Our car has worked exceptionally well at low-downforce circuits, as we demonstrated here and at Monza. From next week we hope to take an even bigger step compared to the rest of the field, but nothing is certain until we see how it actually goes.”
The next development package will therefore be closely watched following previous discussion over Mercedes’ W17 upgrade programme and the potential still available in the car. George Russell’s comments also underline the confidence Mercedes has gained from its performance on circuits such as Monza and Baku.
George Russell on Kimi Antonelli: post-break form has changed his outlook
George Russell also recovered ten points in the championship against Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli in Azerbaijan. Kimi Antonelli finished fifth after fighting his way back from 16th on the starting grid, limiting the damage after a difficult qualifying session.
The result reduced part of the advantage Kimi Antonelli had established in the 2026 Formula 1 drivers’ championship standings, although George Russell stressed that the pressure remains very different for the two Mercedes drivers.
“There’s much less pressure on me than there is on him,” George Russell said when discussing the comparison with Kimi Antonelli. “So far he’s had an incredibly flawless season and qualifying was probably his first real mistake and even then he finished fifth in the race.”
Kimi Antonelli entered the Azerbaijan weekend with a substantial championship advantage after a season in which his consistency had become one of the defining features of the title battle. George Russell had previously acknowledged that his own results had left him outside genuine championship contention, despite Mercedes’ strong overall performance.
“I never really considered myself to be in the fight for several races, because my performances weren’t strong enough,” George Russell continued. “If the season had started today or after the summer break, I would genuinely feel able to fight now. I just want to focus race by race now and then we’ll see.”
George Russell’s comments reflect how dramatically his form has improved since the summer break. While the existing championship situation remains shaped by the points accumulated earlier in the season, the Azerbaijan GP provided another indication that George Russell believes he now has the pace to challenge for victories consistently as Formula 1 moves into the next phase of the 2026 campaign.
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