On the same Sunday as Max Verstappen’s second consecutive victory, Carlos Sainz’s first podium for Williams, Ferrari’s disappointment, and an internal McLaren battle with no clear winner, Russell’s second place may have seemed secondary—but it tells an important story.
This result came during a weekend in which the British driver fought not only against the clock and his on-track competitors but also against a virus that, until a few hours before the start of practice, left him unsure whether he would even be able to get in the car.
It may seem paradoxical that his seventh podium of the season did not make headlines, but this “normality” reflects the stability Russell has built throughout the championship: the ability to seize every opening, turn rivals’ mistakes into opportunities, and stay composed when the circumstances become uncertain.
Russell’s 2025 season illustrates a newfound maturity. In previous years, valuable opportunities had slipped away due to mistakes, but now he seems to have found the thread of consistency. Notably, before the season began, Russell himself had set a personal goal to achieve greater consistency across the championship.
In Azerbaijan, that consistency took the form of a determined yet feverish driver. After missing Thursday media sessions due to illness, Russell pushed through and still took to the track under far-from-ideal conditions. Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff later revealed the extent of his condition, noting that Russell had been “truly unwell” and worsening nightly.
For this reason, his fifth place in qualifying on Saturday, despite being a second off pole position, was a small masterpiece, reflecting a flawless weekend despite a hoarse voice and obvious fatigue, which revealed his fever both in interviews and team radio communications. This clearly highlighted the illness that accompanied him throughout the weekend.
George Russell mentioned that he finally managed a few hours of sleep on Saturday night after qualifying, a crucial recovery that allowed him to deliver his best performance during the race. The track itself also played a role. Baku’s long straights and cooler temperatures reduced the physical strain on the driver.
The British driver himself admitted that had the race been in Singapore, where high humidity and heat challenge even the fittest drivers on a demanding layout, he would likely have retired before the weekend even began. In Baku, however, he gritted his teeth and turned a challenging weekend into a podium that tells a much larger story.
“Fortunately, it was Baku. Even though it’s one of the most challenging circuits, mentally and physically, it is perhaps one of the easier ones. Today I feel much better. Friday and Saturday were really tough. And, you know, if it had been Singapore, I think I would have given up on Friday and probably not raced.”
Securing fifth place in qualifying was therefore a key moment. On a day when many favorites faltered, with McLaren and Ferrari out of contention, the aim was not to chase outright pace but to capitalize on the situation. While it may seem unusual to see a Williams and a Racing Bull ahead of the Mercedes, in a weekend dominated by errors, Russell’s strength was in avoiding mistakes himself.
Mercedes’ decision to start on hard tires proved decisive. In the opening laps, Lawson acted as a buffer, slowing the pack and allowing Carlos Sainz to build a gap that would eventually secure him third place. The decisive moment came after about twenty laps when Mercedes called Russell in for a pit stop.
The cascading effect, which also forced Lawson to pit to change his medium tires, left the track open for Russell. In clean air, he was able to push, gaining valuable tenths of a second lap after lap, completing an overcut on Carlos Sainz. This further confirmed the consistent pace he maintained during the middle phase of the race.
Of course, beating a Williams might seem expected, especially on Baku’s layout, which suits the FW47. But more importantly, the difference lay in Russell’s ability to stay out of trouble, take advantage of opportunities presented by potentially faster rivals, and demonstrate the consistency that has characterized his season.
“All the cars we normally fight with made mistakes or underperformed, and we were able to capitalize on that. Of course, I’m very happy to finish second, considering everything that happened. I think the cooler temperatures helped us a bit, so it was great to take advantage of all these factors.”
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