THE FULL GRID REVIEW
Archive · Round 15 · Sep 26, 2026
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Round 15 · Azerbaijan Grand Prix · Baku

Russell beats Verstappen by two tenths in Baku

George Russell won from pole through two Safety Car restarts, with Max Verstappen right on his gearbox at the flag.

The result
P1RussellMercedes
P2VerstappenRed Bull · +0.196s
P3HadjarRed Bull · +10.704s
4Charles LeclercFerrari+14.136s
5Kimi AntonelliMercedes+14.512s
6Lewis HamiltonFerrari+22.382s
7Arvid LindbladRacing Bulls+31.159s
8Esteban OconHaas+31.189s
9Ollie BearmanHaas+31.929s
10Carlos SainzWilliams+32.416s
What happened

Russell led from pole and used the Safety Car on Lap 31 to switch to softs without losing the lead. A second Safety Car followed when Lando Norris retired after a Turn 1 clash involving the Alpines, and Russell got the restart right both times.

Verstappen chased him to the line and finished 0.196 seconds behind, with Isack Hadjar third for a Red Bull double podium. Kimi Antonelli started 16th and fought through to fifth.

Why it matters

Russell stays in the fight

The win cut Antonelli's lead to 66 points with eight races remaining.

Red Bull's best day of the year

Verstappen and Hadjar both on the podium, and the team clearly on the rise heading into the final stretch.

A bad day for McLaren

Norris retired and Oscar Piastri finished 13th after a mistake at Turn 1.

Drivers' championship after Round 15
PosDriverPtsGap
1Antonelli302—
2Russell236−66
3Hamilton199−103
4Norris186−116
5Leclerc179−123
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