George Russell wins in Baku as Mercedes progress cuts Antonelli's lead

George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 26 September, holding off Max Verstappen by 0.196 seconds to take his third victory of the season. The result cut Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli's championship lead from 81 points to 66 and gave Russell a measure of progress after months of struggling to adapt to the team's 2026 car.

Russell told BBC Sport that the car had not suited his driving style and that he and his engineers had worked to change his technique. He said the adjustments were beginning to feel more intuitive, allowing him to drive with greater confidence on a street circuit where the walls leave little room for error. His account of improvement is supported by a strong Baku weekend, although one result cannot establish how he will perform at other tracks.

A lead tested twice

Russell took pole in Baku with a qualifying lap 0.837 seconds faster than Charles Leclerc's, according to Formula 1's race report. Antonelli hit the wall in the first segment of qualifying and started 16th, giving Russell a clear opportunity to reduce the points gap to his team-mate.

Russell built a substantial lead during the opening half of the 51-lap race. Two safety-car periods then brought the field back together. Verstappen moved into second place after the first restart and stayed close to Russell in the closing laps, but could not get past. The official result records Russell's winning margin as 0.196 seconds, with Red Bull's Isack Hadjar third and Antonelli fifth.

What Russell says has changed

Russell described the Azerbaijan event as ‘the most dominant weekend I've had in my career’. He said the result mattered because it would have been easy to lose faith during a difficult season. His explanation was specific: work with a close group of engineers had helped him adapt his driving to a car in which he had previously felt uncomfortable.

Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord told the BBC that Russell had endured difficult moments and done some soul-searching before the summer break. Lord said the driver had returned focused on the essentials of assembling a complete race weekend. Russell pointed to his recent results: three front-row starts and three podium finishes in four races since the break.

Those four races offer more evidence of improved form than Baku alone. They also sit within a season in which Antonelli has set a demanding standard. The BBC reported that the Italian won three times during Russell's seven-race spell without a victory, bringing Antonelli's season total to eight wins before Azerbaijan. Russell acknowledged that his team-mate had been ‘pretty flawless’ through much of the year.

The championship gap remains

Antonelli recovered from 16th on the grid to finish fifth in Baku, scoring 10 points against Russell's 25. He told the BBC he had felt a step behind during the weekend and said his qualifying mistake had damaged his confidence. He described the race as damage limitation and said he wanted to return to his usual level at the next event.

Russell's win therefore narrowed the championship deficit without reversing the order. The 66-point gap leaves him facing a substantial task even after one of his strongest weekends. Russell said he was concentrating on winning individual races rather than chasing the points margin, while expressing confidence that he could now fight for victory regularly. That remains his expectation, not a result already established across the remaining events.

Russell also said Mercedes had performed especially well on circuits that reward low drag, including Baku. He expected a larger team upgrade at the next event, but cautioned that its effect would become clear only on track. The next race will test whether the confidence and driving changes he described carry over beyond the streets of Azerbaijan.

Russell's account of the difficult period and his response was also the subject of BBC Sport's related report on how he came through a tough spell. For now, the pole position, controlled opening stint and narrow win provide concrete evidence of his recovery in Baku; the 66-point championship gap shows how much work is still ahead.