Russell wins despite late Verstappen challenge

George Russell secured a hard-fought victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, narrowly edging out Red Bull driver Max Verstappen by just over 0.2 seconds. The race was marked by two safety car periods that briefly put Verstappen in contention with Russell. Verstappen had started the race from eighth on the grid, but struggled behind McLaren's Oscar Piastri, who climbed from third to second after passing Ferrari's Charles Leclerc at the start of the race.

Verstappen made his way up from eighth to third by lap seven, but the pace of the field slowed due to a series of mishaps. Williams' Alex Albon crashed at Turn Five, setting off a chain reaction that led to a mid-race safety car period and another one soon after, caused by a pile-up at the first corner. Verstappen chased Russell but was unable to get close enough to make an overtake.

After a pit stop issue, Russell held on to win, while Kimi Antonelli climbed from 16th to fifth place, reducing the Italian's championship lead over Russell to 66 points. Russell expressed gratitude to his team for their support during a challenging period and credited his new driving style for his recent form.