Mercedes driver George Russell has taken a dominant pole-to-flag victory at Formula 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, overcoming two safety cars to beat Max Verstappen and clinch his third grand prix win of 2026.
Russell took pole by a massive eight tenths on Friday and confirmed Mercedes’ dominance in race trim. The Briton led either side of a pair of mid-race safety cars to snare his first win since June’s Austrian Grand Prix, while team-mate Kimi Antonelli could only manage fifth.
At the start Russell made a good getaway to defend his lead on the short burst towards Turn 1, with Piastri picking off second-starting


