George Russell’s 0.196-second Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory over Max Verstappen has entered the Formula 1 record books, becoming the 11th-smallest gap between first and second place in the championship’s history.
After a relatively uneventful first half of the race, Baku once again delivered the drama for which it has become known. The second half of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was chaotic and spectacular, culminating in a sustained battle between George Russell and Max Verstappen after the second Safety Car restart.
George Russell beats Max Verstappen by just 0.196 seconds
Max Verstappen applied intense pressure to George Russell during the closing stages, but the Mercedes driver refused to be unsettled by the four-time world champion filling his mirrors.
George Russell held his nerve to secure the eighth victory of his Formula 1 career and his third of the 2026 season, adding another major result for the Mercedes W17 in its dominant 2026 campaign.
The Grand Prix was ultimately decided in a genuine sprint to the line. On the final lap, Max Verstappen also benefited from encountering Valtteri Bottas’s crashed Cadillac around Turn 15, allowing the Red Bull driver to remain a threat all the way to the chequered flag.
George Russell’s number 63 Mercedes eventually crossed the finish line only 0.196 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen’s number 3 Red Bull.
Baku finish ranks 11th closest in Formula 1 history
The 0.196-second margin is the 11th-smallest gap ever recorded between the winner and runner-up across 1,164 Formula 1 Grands Prix.
Not since the 2023 Australian Grand Prix had two drivers finished closer together. On that occasion, Max Verstappen beat Lewis Hamilton by 0.179 seconds, although the comparison is unusual because that race was heavily influenced by two red flags during the final three laps and ultimately finished behind the Safety Car amid considerable chaos.
| Pos. | Grand Prix | Winner | Second place | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Italy 1971 | Peter Gethin | Ronnie Peterson | 0.010s |
| 2 | United States 2002 | Rubens Barrichello | Michael Schumacher | 0.011s |
| 3 | Spain 1986 | Ayrton Senna | Nigel Mansell | 0.014s |
| 4 | Austria 1982 | Elio de Angelis | Keke Rosberg | 0.050s |
| 5 | Italy 1969 | Jackie Stewart | Jochen Rindt | 0.080s |
| 6 | France 1954 | Juan Manuel Fangio | Karl Kling | 0.100s |
| 7 | France 1961 | Giancarlo Baghetti | Dan Gurney | 0.100s |
| 8 | Canada 2000 | Michael Schumacher | Rubens Barrichello | 0.174s |
| 9 | Australia 2023 | Max Verstappen | Lewis Hamilton | 0.179s |
| 10 | Austria 2002 | Michael Schumacher | Rubens Barrichello | 0.182s |
| 11 | Azerbaijan 2026 | George Russell | Max Verstappen | 0.196s |
Ferrari features prominently among F1’s closest finishes
Looking further back, three of the closest margins came during Ferrari races in the early 2000s.
At Indianapolis in 2002, only 0.011 seconds separated race winner Rubens Barrichello from Michael Schumacher as the two Ferraris crossed the line almost together.
Earlier that same season in Austria, Michael Schumacher beat Rubens Barrichello by 0.182 seconds in the infamous Grand Prix shaped by the Ferrari team order imposed by Jean Todt.
The other Ferrari entry in the list came at the rain-soaked 2000 Canadian Grand Prix, where Michael Schumacher defeated Rubens Barrichello by 0.174 seconds.
Those margins came during one of the most successful periods in Ferrari history, when the team frequently controlled races with both cars. Ferrari’s modern performance picture is very different, with the latest technical developments available in the Ferrari technical analysis section.
Ayrton Senna and Nigel Mansell produced F1’s classic photo finish
To find a comparable genuine green-flag sprint involving drivers from two different teams who were actively fighting for victory, it is necessary to go all the way back to 1986.
That season produced one of Formula 1’s most unforgettable finishes at the Spanish Grand Prix in Jerez, where Ayrton Senna’s Lotus and Nigel Mansell’s Williams raced virtually side by side towards the chequered flag.
Ayrton Senna prevailed by only 0.014 seconds, a margin that remains one of the smallest in the history of the championship.
Russell-Verstappen duel adds another chapter to F1 history
George Russell and Max Verstappen’s duel was inevitably a more modern version of that famous 1986 battle, but the intensity of the final laps and the tiny margin at the line still evoked one of Formula 1’s classic finishes.
For George Russell, the result was particularly significant. He resisted sustained pressure from one of the sport’s most formidable competitors to secure his third victory of 2026 and take valuable points in the Drivers’ Championship.
Max Verstappen came within 0.196 seconds of denying him, but George Russell held on. Across more than a thousand Formula 1 Grands Prix, only ten winning margins have been smaller.
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