Russell wins despite late Verstappen challenge — SkimNews
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- George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix despite a late charge from Max Verstappen, securing his first victory since June and cutting Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 66 points.
- Max Verstappen climbed from eighth on the grid to finish second, closing within 0.196 seconds of Russell after a final-lap surge triggered by yellow flags and a turbo issue on Russell’s car.
- Isack Hadjar returned from injury to claim third place for Red Bull, completing the podium in a race where he passed Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc early on.
- Oscar Piastri dropped from podium contention to 14th after a Turn One lock-up during a restart, following an earlier incident that eliminated Norris and Pierre Gasly due to Franco Colapinto’s error.
- Two safety cars were triggered in quick succession—first by Alex Albon’s crash, then by a multi-car pile-up at Turn One involving Colapinto, Gasly, Norris, and Racing Bulls drivers, setting up a tense final phase.
Why it matters: Russell’s win breaks a streak of dominance by teammates and rivals alike, proving he can defend under maximum pressure from Verstappen—the closest green-flag finish since 2002—with real implications for the championship gap as Mercedes closes ground with two cars scoring in the top five.
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