F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix results: Baku chaos delivers thrilling finish and more misery for Lewis Hamilton

George Russell produced a sensational lights-to-flag victory at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but the Mercedes driver was forced to survive a chaotic final phase in Baku as Max Verstappen launched a late attack for victory.

For Lewis Hamilton, however, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix ended with another difficult result. The Ferrari driver finished sixth, exactly where he started, while team-mate Charles Leclerc claimed fourth and Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli recovered from 16th on the grid to finish fifth.

Russell appeared to have the race under control for much of the afternoon after converting pole position into an early lead. The Mercedes driver built a substantial advantage before the Safety Car dramatically changed the complexion of the race.

Alex Albon’s crash brought out the first Safety Car and wiped away Russell’s advantage. The restart immediately put pressure on the leaders, with Verstappen taking advantage of the situation to move into second.

Then came another major twist.

Franco Colapinto’s incident triggered a second Safety Car after contact resulted in a multi-car accident involving Alpine team-mates Pierre Gasly and Colapinto, as well as Lando Norris. The disruption once again compressed the field and gave Verstappen a genuine opportunity to attack Russell in the closing stages.

The final restart set up a tense battle.

Verstappen relentlessly chased Russell during the closing laps, but the Mercedes driver kept his composure and held on to cross the finish line just 0.196 seconds ahead. It was Russell’s third victory of the 2026 season and his first since Austria in June.

Behind them, Isack Hadjar completed a remarkable return to the podium. The Red Bull driver finished third, giving the team a double podium after Verstappen’s runner-up finish. According to Formula 1’s official report, the result also marked Red Bull’s first double podium since the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.

Charles Leclerc brought Ferrari home in fourth, but the result could hardly hide another complicated weekend for the Italian team.

Hamilton’s sixth-place finish was particularly notable because the seven-time world champion had started sixth after qualifying behind Russell, Leclerc, Oscar Piastri, Hadjar and Lando Norris. He therefore failed to gain a position despite the extraordinary amount of drama unfolding around him.

The biggest frustration came from Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli.

Starting 16th after his qualifying crash, Antonelli fought his way through the field and capitalised on the Safety Car periods to finish fifth. That put him directly ahead of Hamilton and added another significant chapter to the battle between the young Mercedes driver and the Ferrari star.

Hamilton’s Ferrari ultimately finished 22.382 seconds behind Russell, while Leclerc was 14.136 seconds from the winner.

The wider race was equally dramatic. Six drivers failed to finish, including Norris, Albon, Gasly, Colapinto, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. Oscar Piastri, despite running near the front for much of the race, eventually dropped to 14th after losing ground in the chaotic final stages.

The official classification also confirmed that Hamilton collected eight points for sixth place.

There was further post-race movement elsewhere in the classification. Gabriel Bortoleto received a 10-second penalty for overtaking under yellow flags, while Colapinto had an unserved penalty converted into a five-place grid drop for the next race in Sepang.

For Hamilton and Ferrari, attention now turns to what comes next.

The Azerbaijan result leaves Hamilton third in the championship standings on 199 points according to the latest published standings, while Leclerc sits fifth on 179. Antonelli remains at the top with 302 points, with Russell moving to 236 after his victory.

Baku therefore produced a spectacular race, but it also underlined the contrasting fortunes surrounding Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull.

Russell walked away with the trophy after surviving a dramatic final-lap battle. Verstappen came agonisingly close to his first win of the season. Antonelli turned a disastrous qualifying session into a fifth-place finish.

And Hamilton?

Another difficult weekend ended with sixth place, eight points and plenty of questions surrounding Ferrari’s ability to consistently challenge at the front.