George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku for Mercedes. Once again, the fast street circuit on the shores of the Caspian Sea produced a turbulent race with several incidents and Safety Car periods. Russell started from pole position and controlled much of the race, but the closing stages became extremely tense. Max Verstappen, who had started only eighth, fought his way impressively through the field and put the Mercedes driver under heavy pressure in the final laps. At the chequered flag, just 0.196 seconds separated the two. Another surprise came from Isack Hadjar, who delivered a very strong race on his comeback and finished third on the podium. Charles Leclerc, Kimi Antonelli and Lewis Hamilton followed behind. Antonelli had started well down the grid after a difficult qualifying session but recovered strongly to finish fifth and collect important points for the World Championship. McLaren, on the other hand, endured a weekend to forget. Lando Norris was involved in an incident and had to retire, while Oscar Piastri struggled and finished outside the points. Baku therefore once again delivered exactly what this Grand Prix has become famous for: high speeds, unforgiving walls, unexpected twists and excitement right to the final lap.