George Russell secured victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 26, 2026, driving his Mercedes to first place on the Baku street circuit. The British driver finished ahead of the two Red Bull cars, with Max Verstappen taking second and Isack Hadjar claiming third place in the fifteenth round of the Formula One World Championship.
Race Results and Championship Standings
Russell, 28, secured his eighth career victory in Formula One and his third win of the season. Behind the podium finishers, Charles Leclerc took fourth place for Ferrari, while Andrea Kimi Antonelli staged a significant recovery drive. Antonelli started the race from sixteenth on the grid and climbed eleven positions to finish fifth in his Mercedes.
Following the race in Baku, Antonelli leads the Formula One drivers’ championship standings with 302 points. Russell sits second in the standings, trailing his Mercedes teammate by 66 points.
Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line sixth for Mercedes, just behind Antonelli. Rookie Arvid Lindblad finished seventh for RB, followed by Esteban Ocon in eighth and Oliver Bearman in ninth for Haas. Carlos Sainz secured the final point available by finishing tenth for Williams.
Incidents and Retirements in Baku
Several drivers failed to finish the race along the Caspian Sea. Fernando Alonso retired his Aston Martin on lap 21 due to a reported engine failure. Franco Colapinto crashed his Alpine fourteen laps later following the initial restart. The incident also forced his teammate Pierre Gasly and McLaren’s Lando Norris out of the race. Sergio Pérez finished fifteenth for Cadillac.
Next Round in Malaysia
The Formula One season continues next weekend with the next round. The postponed Bahrain Grand Prix, which retains its original nomenclature, will take place at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
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