Russell wins closest F1 finish in 24 years while tempers flare in wild race at Baku
EDDIE KALEGI - STAFF WRITER
George Russell capped off a fantastic weekend in Baku Saturday morning, holding the lead from pole, even after a frantic safety car restart, to capture his third win of the 2026 Formula One season in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The Englishman held off his rival, a hard-charging Max Verstappen, to claim victory by 0.196 seconds, the closest finish in an F1 race since the 2002 United States Grand Prix, when Michael Schumacher defeated Rubens Barrichello by just 0.011 seconds. Verstappen's Red Bull teammate Isack Hadjar, who returned from a three-race absence due to a wrist injury and inked a contract extension earlier in the weekend, rounded out the podium in third, the first double podium effort for Red Bull this season.
With the win, Russell climbed to within 66 points of Mercedes teammate Kimi Antonelli for the World Drivers' Championship lead. Antonelli rebounded for a fifth place finish Saturday after starting 16th following a crash in Friday's qualifying session.
The collective effort from the Mercedes duo padded the Constructors' Championship gap to a whopping 160 points over Ferrari, with Toto Wolff's crew now having won 11 of the 15 Grand Prix this season.
Meanwhile, another key storyline from Saturday involved Lando Norris and Alpine. Following a mid-race safety car, a frantic restart ensued on lap 36. Franco Colapinto took a lunge entering Baku's narrow turn 1, but clipped teammate Pierre Gasly, who then slid up the track and collected Norris, sending all three around, into the barriers, and out of the race.
Shortly after the race, the FIA announced a five-spot grid penalty for Colapinto next weekend at Sepang in Malaysia, but the defending World Drivers' Champion doesn't think that punishment is enough.
"At the end of the day, I just got taken out... just some drivers that shouldn't be in F1 to be honest," Norris said. "I think the FIA should be more strict and start handing out bans for this kind of stuff. It's just careless from people."
Norris currently sits fourth in the World Drivers' Championship, trailing Lewis Hamilton by 13 points for a podium place.
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