George Russell secured his fifth pole position of the 2026 season and converted it into a commanding race victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, holding off Max Verstappen on Saturday, September 26, 2026, as teammate Kimi Antonelli fought back to finish fifth following a costly qualifying crash.
Formula 1 arrived in Azerbaijan for the 15th round of the season facing a rare Saturday race schedule. Shifted forward to accommodate a national holiday in the country—specifically Sunday, September 27, an annual day of remembrance commemorating those who died during the Second Nagorno Karabagh War—the weekend moved forward with practice on Thursday, qualifying on Friday, and the race on Saturday. Despite marking its tenth anniversary hosting F1 events, the layout through the Baku City Circuit continues to present fierce demands on competitors as one of the calendar’s rare street venues, complete with a scenic medieval castle segment offering a stunning backdrop for the track action.
With Formula 1 entering the closing phase of the campaign, the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix promises thrilling competition within the country’s primary hub. Kimi Antonelli still leads the Drivers’ Championship standings with 292 points. His closest challenger is teammate George Russell, sitting 81 points behind, while Lewis Hamilton of Ferrari occupies third position holding 191 points. Mercedes is leading the Constructors’ race far and away with 503 points.
Russell Dominates Baku Qualifying and Race as Antonelli Crashes Out
During an intensely fought qualifying hour for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, George Russell captured his fifth pole position of the 2026 campaign, left representing Mercedes entirely on his own after Kimi Antonelli suffered an accident in Q1. Four separate outfits appeared capable of grabbing the top spot initially, but Russell posted progressively faster runs through every attempt in Q3 to build a commanding eight-tenths margin over Charles Leclerc of Ferrari, sealing the session with a benchmark of 1m 42.526s.
Oscar Piastri ended up a mere 0.001s shy of the Monegasque driver in third position, finishing ahead of Isack Hadjar for Red Bull and Lando Norris in the second McLaren car, whose hopes of improving were thwarted by a lock-up on his concluding run. Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton took sixth place ahead of Pierre Gasly, Max Verstappen, and Carlos Sainz of Williams, successfully extracting maximum performance from the outfit’s substantial upgrade package. Franco Colapinto rounded out the top tier of the grid.
The grid has now been finally and officially confirmed by the FIA for the 2026 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku with George Russell on pole for Mercedes. The 28-year-old Briton set an astonishing pace during Friday’s qualifying session, leaving the rest of the field far behind in Baku. Championship leader and team-mate Kimi Antonelli meanwhile started way down in P16 after putting his Mercedes into the wall in Q1, meaning Antonelli’s 81-point advantage in the Drivers’ standings faced the threat of shrinking. Driving for Ferrari, Charles Leclerc lined up alongside Russell on the front row in second, though he trailed the leading Mercedes driver by more than eight tenths of a second. It proved to be a disastrous outing for seven-time title holder Lewis Hamilton and four-time title holder Max Verstappen, who ended up with grid slots six and eight respectively.
Safety Cars Shake Up the 51-Lap Baku Race Order
Below are the full classifications from the 15th round of the 2026 F1 calendar, held at the Baku street circuit for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. George Russell successfully fended off Max Verstappen to secure the win in Baku at the conclusion of a turbulent Azerbaijan Grand Prix. For the initial half of the grand prix, Russell enjoyed a trouble-free run that suggested an effortless march to victory in Azerbaijan. But when Alex Albon found the wall, all chaos broke loose, with the safety car deployed. A second intervention came after Franco Colapinto locked up and wiped out Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris. Starting near the back following his earlier crash, Kimi Antonelli managed a remarkable charge to fifth place to minimize his championship points loss.
Pilot George Russell of the Mercedes Formula 1 squad successfully repelled Max Verstappen of Red Bull to claim victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, an event shaped by a pair of safety car deployments across the 51 laps contested in Baku.
Official Baku Grand Prix Results
| Position | Driver | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | G. Russell | Mercedes |
| 2 | M. Verstappen | Red Bull |
| 3 | I. Hadjar | Red Bull |
| 4 | C. Leclerc | Ferrari |
| 5 | K. Antonelli | Mercedes |
| 6 | L. Hamilton | Ferrari |
| 7 | A. Lindblad | Racing Bulls |
| 8 | E. Ocon | Haas |
| 9 | O. Bearman | Haas |
| 10 | C. Sainz | Williams |
| 11 | N. Hülkenberg | Audi |
| 12 | L. Lawson | Racing Bulls |
| 13 | G. Bortoleto | Audi |
| 14 | O. Piastri | McLaren |
| 15 | S. Pérez | Cadillac |
| 16 | V. Bottas | Cadillac |
| DNF | F. Colapinto | Alpine |
| DNF | P. Gasly | Alpine |
| DNF | L. Norris | McLaren |
| DNF | A. Albon | Williams |
| DNF | F. Alonso | Aston Martin |
| DNF | L. Stroll | Aston Martin |
По теме
