Russell wins despite late Verstappen challenge

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountHomeNewsSportEarthReelWorklifeTravelCultureFutureMusicTVWeatherSoundsMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportEarthReelWorklifeTravelCultureFutureMusicTVWeatherSoundsClose menu BBC SportMenuHomeFootballCricketFormula 1Rugby UTennisGolfCyclingAthleticsMoreA-Z SportsAmerican FootballAthleticsBasketballBoxingCricketCyclingDartsDisability SportFootballFormula 1Gaelic GamesGolfGymnasticsHorse RacingMixed Martial ArtsMotorsportNetballRugby LeagueRugby UnionSnookerSwimmingTennisFull Sports A-ZMore from SportEnglandScotlandWalesNorthern IrelandQuizzesNews FeedsHelp & FAQsFormula 1LatestResultsStandingsCalendarTeams & DriversSend us a questionRussell wins despite late Verstappen challengeImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, George Russell crosses the finish line with Max Verstappen less than two tenths of a second behind F1 CorrespondentPublished26 September 2026, 13:53 BSTUpdated 56 minutes agoMercedes' George Russell held off a late challenge from Red Bull's Max Verstappen to win an Azerbaijan Grand Prix enlivened late on by two safety car periods. Russell dominated the first part of the race while Verstappen was climbing up from eighth place on the grid before becoming stuck behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri. But two safety cars in quick succession put the Red Bull on Russell's tail for an 11-lap chase to the flag. Russell could never break free of Verstappen but the four-time world champion was not quite able to get close enough to try an overtaking move. After an issue with energy deployment, Russell was scared Verstappen would pass him on the run to the line, but held on to win by just under 0.2 seconds. Russell's victory meant he cut the championship lead of team-mate Kimi Antonelli - who recovered from 16th on the grid to finish fifth - to 66 points. "It's amazing to be back on the top step of the podium. I do want to say a big thanks to my team because they've continued to believe in me through a tough moment, helped me come through it," the Briton said. Behind the top two, Red Bull's Isack Hadjar drove a strong race to the final podium position on his return after missing three races with a broken wrist. The key stories of an initially soporific and then dramatic and tense grand prix were: Russell's accomplished drive to his first win since the Austrian Grand Prix in June Verstappen's superb fightback from a difficult qualifying Mid-race chaos with a first safety car triggering a second almost immediately, as so often happens Russell appeared on course for a comfortable win as the race unfolded with few incidents of note in the opening stages. Piastri moved up from third on the grid to second by passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the start but the Australian lacked the pace to chase Russell, who edged away into a comfortable lead. Behind, Piastri soon found himself holding off Hadjar, who won an early battle with McLaren's Lando Norris and then passed Leclerc to challenge the McLaren. Meanwhile, Verstappen was making his way up from eighth place after a qualifying session in which a cascade of problems had prevented him qualifying second to Russell. By lap seven, he was past Hadjar into third place after the Frenchman did not fight him. The three cars circulated together in a stalemate, with no-one able to pass and the teams all waiting for the expected accident that would lead to a safety car and a cheap pit stop. That happened on lap 30, when Williams' Alex Albon crashed at Turn Five. On the restart, six laps later, Verstappen passed Piastri into Turn One to move into second place. But the race was almost immediately put back under caution after a pile-up at the first corner caused by Alpine's Franco Colapinto, who cannoned into team-mate Pierre Gasly, who in turn clattered into Norris. Behind them, the two Racing Bulls also came together, Arvid Lindblad tipping Liam Lawson into a spin, leading to a sarcastic response from the New Zealander on the radio. That put Verstappen on to Russell's tail for another restart but the Briton handled the situation coolly, accelerating early and catching the Dutchman somewhat unawares. He was unable to shake Verstappen, who was always about 0.5secs behind but never quite close enough to try a move into Turn One, the only significant overtaking place. Valtteri Bottas crashed his Cadillac at Turn 15, and after backing off for the yellow flags, Russell lost his turbo which in turn cost him electrical boost. Verstappen closed in and there was just 0.196secs between them as they crossed the line, the closest green-flag finish since the 2002 United States Grand Prix. Russell has now finished on the podium in three of the four races since the summer break. Asked what has changed for him since then, he said: "I think it's just having more experience with this new driving style I've adopted and every race since the break I feel like I've gone from strength to strength. I feel more like myself again." Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, The incident that led to the retirement of McLaren's Lando Norris and both Alpines immediately after the first safety car restart Antonelli only just missed out on passing Leclerc for fourth, crossing the line 0.3secs adrift of the Ferrari. Leclerc's team-mate Lewis Hamilton was sixth after a quiet race, while Lindblad made amends for hitting Lawson with a strong final 10 laps to move up to seventh place. McLaren were left licking their wounds after a strong first part of the race in which Piastri was looking on course for a potential podium. The first issue came when Norris locked up into Turn One, which dropped him from seventh place behind Gasly and Antonelli. Then at the first restart, Norris was trying to pass Gasly around the outside of Turn One when Colapinto locked up on the inside and slid into Gasly, who was knocked into Norris.

---

Source: BBC Sport

This article has been carefully curated and reformatted for educational and informational purposes. Full credit goes to the original publisher.

---

📚 Visit more helpful articles on Joab Peters Blog