George Russell had to work for it until the final metres, but the Mercedes driver ultimately secured a victory that crowned what was arguably his best weekend of the season and perhaps one of the strongest of his career. The Briton made no mistakes in a Mercedes that was exceptional around Baku, while Ferrari once again missed the podium and extended a negative run in which the SF-26 has failed to show a truly decisive strength.
Red Bull also returned both cars to the podium, leaving Ferrari outside the top three once again. For the Maranello team, the only real positive from Azerbaijan was gaining points on McLaren in the battle for second place in the Constructors’ Championship.
George Russell delivers a deserved Azerbaijan GP victory
Two Safety Car periods and Valtteri Bottas’ accident on the final lap threatened to turn an almost perfect weekend into a frustrating outcome for George Russell and Mercedes. In the end, however, the victory went to a team whose strengths were particularly well suited to the Baku City Circuit.
The W17’s combustion-engine power, energy-management efficiency and aerodynamic performance were all evident on the long straights of the Azerbaijani capital. At the same time, the narrow section around the castle highlighted Mercedes’ strong traction.
Russell made much of the difference throughout the weekend in sector two, especially during the race, building just enough of a margin to defend against Max Verstappen. The calendar now moves towards circuits that may suit Mercedes less naturally, but the team is beginning to consider the possibility of establishing a more consistent advantage, with a major upgrade package due in Malaysia followed later by an updated power unit.
The wider performance of the W17 can also be compared with recent Mercedes trends in this analysis of Mercedes’ 2026 competitiveness.
Russell makes the difference beyond the strength of the W17
The Azerbaijan victory was not only about the car and Mercedes power unit. George Russell also produced one of his strongest performances, making full use of a driving style that has not always been particularly rewarding with the 2026 Formula 1 cars.
It remains too early to call this a turning point because Baku is an unusual circuit, leaving plenty of interest around how Mercedes performs at the upcoming races. What is certain is that Russell reduced his championship deficit to Andrea Kimi Antonelli by 15 points.
Antonelli, meanwhile, did well — and also benefited from circumstances — to limit the damage after his qualifying error. The Italian completed another recovery drive, although it was less emphatic than his comeback at Monza. This time, his W17 had not been prepared specifically around the race, his engine was not fresh, and the characteristics of the circuit, together with minimal tyre degradation, made overtaking difficult.
Malaysia now provides Antonelli with an immediate opportunity to respond.
Red Bull continues its recent progress
Red Bull completed a strong weekend with both cars on the podium. Even before the event, Baku had been identified as a circuit that could suit the RB22, and not simply because of its straight-line speed.
The relatively similar corner types around the lap made it easier to find a workable balance across different speeds, an area in which the Red Bull has often been difficult to interpret this season. The team has now fought for the podium at three consecutive races, suggesting a better understanding of what the car requires alongside progress from recent upgrades, including further developments introduced in Baku.
During the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen initially moved quickly through the field before becoming stuck behind Oscar Piastri. Verstappen particularly struggled through the middle sector, where the dirty air from the McLaren destabilised his car. He was also compromised by the medium tyres, which were less effective than Piastri’s softs, with the Australian’s tyres sliding less and generating less temperature.
Late in the race, Verstappen used the tow from George Russell while running in attack mode, although that meant there was never a clear opportunity to judge his true pace in clean air. Overall, Hadjar’s strong performance after returning to contention further underlined the RB22’s competitiveness in Baku, with the next challenge being to confirm that form at circuits with different characteristics.
Ferrari leaves Baku without a clear strength
The only genuinely positive aspect of Ferrari’s Azerbaijan weekend was the points gained on McLaren, its main threat for second place in the Constructors’ Championship and effectively the Scuderia’s remaining target for the season.
Even so, Ferrari was not clearly faster than the McLarens. Charles Leclerc was slower than Oscar Piastri during the opening stint, despite Baku unquestionably being one of the least favourable circuits for the SF-26 because of its straight-line limitations.
Those weaknesses had already been visible earlier in the weekend, with Ferrari’s Baku telemetry highlighting the SF-26’s changing performance profile.
The bigger concern is that Ferrari has now gone five consecutive races without a podium and has failed to produce a standout performance during any of them. At this stage of the development cycle, the SF-26 appears to lack a clearly defined strength.
The Maranello car struggles on power-sensitive circuits without standing out on more technical tracks. It has also lacked sufficient impact in qualifying without compensating through exceptional long-run pace. Ferrari will therefore hope its upcoming developments can lift the SF-26 during the closing phase of the campaign.
The changing competitive picture between Maranello and its closest opponents can be followed through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.
Without a meaningful improvement from the next updates, Ferrari risks ending the season without reversing the mediocre form that has characterised its recent run.
McLaren suffers double setback as Williams scores
McLaren endured an even worse Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leaving Baku without points from either car. The MCL40s had looked like the third-fastest package during the weekend, with Oscar Piastri spending much of the race trying to limit the damage before throwing away the result with a braking mistake.
Lando Norris, meanwhile, was eliminated through no fault of his own after Franco Colapinto misjudged the grip available on cold tyres at the restart and also made contact with his team-mate.
The incident also prevented Alpine from capitalising on an opportunity to attack Racing Bulls for fifth place in the Constructors’ Championship. Racing Bulls instead extended its advantage thanks to Arvid Lindblad’s late recovery.
Williams also enjoyed a strong Baku weekend, returning to the points with Carlos Sainz while benefiting from updates to both the aerodynamics and chassis.
There is little time for any team to dwell on the Azerbaijan result, however, with Formula 1 heading to Malaysia within days. Mercedes will arrive hoping to reinforce the momentum built around a Baku weekend in which both the W17 and George Russell showed exactly where their strongest qualities can make the difference.
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