Azerbaijan GP: George Russell holds off Max Verstappen for victory in thrilling Baku finale as Kimi Antonelli recovers to fifth

George Russell held off Max Verstappen in a thrilling finale to claim victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by just a tenth of a second. <p>Mercedes' Russell had been on course for a dominant victory before two Safety Cars wiped out the 11-second lead he had built and left him desperately defending Red Bull's Verstappen in the closing stages.</p><p>The lights-to-flag triumph reduces Russell's deficit to his team-mate Kimi Antonelli at the top of the world championship to 66 points after the Italian fought back from 16th on the grid, following a qualifying crash, to finish fifth.</p><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/grandprix/azerbaijan/results/2026/race" target="_blank">Azerbaijan GP race result</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/standings">F1 2026 standings</a> | <a href="https://www.skysports.com/f1/schedule-results">F1 2026 calendar</a></strong></li><li><a href="https://qrcode.skysports.com/skysports/ContentPromo" target="_blank"><strong>Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more</strong></a><strong>📱</strong></li><li><strong>Not got Sky?