George Russell described the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as "the most dominant weekend I've had in my career" after a win that felt like vindication.
George Russell’s victory in Azerbaijan was his third of the 2026 season
Published26 September 2026
For George Russell, this one felt like vindication, proof that he had “come through the other side” and was back to his best after what he acknowledged was a “real tough period” during this Formula 1 season
The Mercedes driver’s victory in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Red Bull’s Max Verstappen in one of the closest finishes in history, was his first since the end of June – seven races ago
In that time, team-mate Kimi Antonelli has won three times, to take his tally of victories to eight for the season
So Russell needed this, his third victory, in a year that he started as championship favourite. Instead, Antonelli has taken the season by the throat and all but crushed the life out of Russell’s hopes
Now, though, a glimmer of hope still exists for Russell, even if he is too realistic to think too much about it for now
His win, combined with Antonelli’s fifth place after what the Italian admitted was his “worst weekend of the year in terms of performance”, has cut the points gap between them to 66
That’s still huge, with either seven or eight races still to go, and 25 points for a win. But it’s a lot better than the 81-point margin Russell faced before Baku
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Source: BBC News English
