2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Recap
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix this past Saturday brought chaotic yet thrilling racing to the table. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) started P16 after damaging his car during Qualifying. Notably, Max Verstappen (Red Bull) started in P8. The starting three were George Russell (Mercedes) in P1, Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) in P2, and Oscar Piastri (McLaren) in P3.
At the start of the race, Russell maintained his lead, with Piastri taking P2. Verstappen moved his way into P6 after he passed Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari). Isack Hadjar (Red Bull) was back in Formula 1 after two months, and he moved just behind Verstappen. The two Red Bulls stayed close to Lando Norris (McLaren) in P5.
The quicker Red Bulls passed Norris, and he lost two positions. While passing, Hadjar overtook Verstappen as well, then moved past Leclerc into P3. The McLaren team told Piastri, “These Red Bulls could be a problem.” Verstappen then passed Leclerc for P4. “Speed is outrageous,” the commentators said. Red Bull had Verstappen pass Hadjar: “Race time is a priority here.” They then asked Hadjar, “Isack, if you had free air, how much faster could you go?” Hadjar responded, “I am happy to stay here; otherwise, we would lose time.” By lap 17, Antonelli had made his way into the points at P10.
On lap 20, it seemed a faster Hadjar had changed his mind about being behind Verstappen. He asked if he could pass, but the team denied letting him by. On lap 31, Alex Albon went into the wall, and a full safety car was deployed. The drivers used the opportunity to pit.
At the race restart, Russell stayed ahead, and Verstappen got into P2, passing Piastri. Suddenly, the restart was disrupted as Franco Colapinto (Alpine) locked up and collided with his teammate Pierre Gasly (Alpine). The collision also took out Norris, and all three were out of the race. At the same time, Arvid Lindblad (Racing Bulls) crashed into his teammate, Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls), resulting in Lawson losing multiple positions. A safety car was called again. Lindblad later apologized for the incident, but received no penalty.
A second race restart commenced, and Russell took P1. The great lead he had set up for himself was now lost after the safety cars were called. Verstappen remained in P2 with Piastri and Hadjar behind. Unexpectedly, Piastri locked up and went off the track, needing to turn all the way around to get back into the race. He dropped down to P15. Antonelli then made a move to pass Hamilton and got into P5.
As the pressure continued to build in the fight for P1, both Russell and Verstappen brushed the narrow walls of Baku. Verstappen remained just behind Russell as the last lap approached. The fight was briefly slowed as Valtteri Bottas (Cadillac) went into the wall, but it quickly picked up until the very last second when Russell crossed the finish line. He finished just 0.1 seconds before Verstappen, making it in the top ten closest finishes in F1. Hadjar finished P3, Leclerc in P4, and Antonelli in P5. Ending out the points was Carlos Sainz (Williams) in P10.
In the post-race interview, Russell commented, “It was the most fun I’ve had in an F1 race because I could feel him breathing down my neck… the pace was so high.” Hadjar noted that his abilities were still there, and he did not feel like he had been away for two months. He had told himself to take the weekend easy, and it seemed to have paid off. Colapinto commented on his incident and said it was disappointing and he was sad for the team. He received a 5-place grid drop for the next race.
There was quite a bit of tension following this Grand Prix, although most of it seems to have been resolved. Even so, the pressure is on heading into Malaysia this weekend. Formula 1 continues to remind us how unpredictable it can be, so tune in to the next race, the 2026 Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, this Sunday, October 4, with East Bay F1! More details are available here.
