Russell Claims Dominant Azerbaijan Victory Amidst Season Struggles

George Russell described his victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as "the most dominant weekend I've had in my career," a sentiment that carried significant weight after what he termed a "real tough period" during the Formula 1 season.

This win, his third of the 2026 season, ended a seven-race drought and provided a much-needed boost in his championship battle with teammate Kimi Antonelli. Antonelli, who has won three races in Russell's winless stretch, finished fifth in Azerbaijan, allowing Russell to cut the points deficit to 66.

"My team-mate's had an incredible season. He's been pretty flawless throughout, but now we're getting to crunch time," Russell stated. "But I'm just going to focus on myself. You know, if I continue delivering performances like I've done this weekend, no matter what happens towards the end of the season, I'll be happy."

Russell's performance in Baku was particularly notable given his struggles earlier in the season. The significant rule changes at the start of 2026 initially favored Antonelli, leaving Russell to adapt his driving style. The Italian Grand Prix two races prior, where Antonelli won from 19th on the grid while Russell struggled, was a particularly painful moment.

"I felt always a step behind," Antonelli admitted after the Azerbaijan race, acknowledging a mistake in qualifying that saw him start 16th. "And especially with the mistake in qualifying the confidence level was not high and today was about damage limitation. Just probably also the mindset was not in the best place. I wasn't there. I wasn't really present."

Despite Antonelli's strong season, the Baku weekend saw Russell at his best, dominating from practice to the checkered flag. This performance came after extensive work with his engineers to better suit the car to his driving style.

"I'm very proud of the resilience that I and my close group of engineers have shown during the tough periods this year because there's been a lot of hard work to overcome some of the challenges, to adapt my driving style to suit this new car better," Russell said. "And F1 is so tough, you don't get opportunities to practise this, and finally it's coming to me a bit more intuitively than it once did, and I'm gaining confidence."

Two mid-race safety cars in Azerbaijan closed the field, allowing Red Bull's Max Verstappen to challenge Russell closely. Despite a late scare with a loss of turbo boost pressure, Russell held on for a victory he described as stemming from a weekend where he felt he could "fight for victory week in, week out now."

Mercedes is set to introduce a significant upgrade at the upcoming Malaysia race, which Russell hopes will further close the gap to their rivals. "Our car has been working exceptionally well on the low-drag circuits. We've got a really efficient car, so here at Baku we've been exceptionally fast. But I think from next week onwards, we're hoping to make a bigger step to the rest of the field."

While acknowledging Antonelli remains the championship favorite, Russell expressed renewed confidence in his own form. "There's much less pressure on me than there is on him," Russell noted. "Now I feel like if the season were to have started today, or since the summer break, you know, I feel very much I would have been able to fight. Now I've got this big deficit. It can change quick. So I'm not chasing that. I'm chasing to win every race, and what will be, will be."