F1 Standings 2026 After The Azerbaijan Grand Prix

George Russell survived two safety car periods and a late challenge from Max Verstappen to clinch a dramatic victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.

After securing pole position on Friday by the largest margin of the season, the Mercedes man carried the strong pace into Saturday’s race, building a comfortable lead of over 10 seconds ahead of Oscar Piastri’s McLaren in the first half.

It seemed like Russell was well on course for a smooth and dominant win until a safety car period triggered by Alexander Albon’s crash on lap 31 neutralized the field and wiped out his huge leading gap. At the restart, the Briton managed to hold onto his lead while Red Bull’s Verstappen jumped Piastri for second.

Just as he thought he could take a breather, the safety car was deployed again almost immediately after Franco Colapinto locked up and crashed into Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly and reigning champion Lando Norris of McLaren, neutralizing the field once again.

In the closing stages of the race, Verstappen, who had climbed from eighth to second, mounted a serious attack on Russell, eyeing his first victory since last year’s finale in Abu Dhabi.

However, the Mercedes driver kept his composure despite the late scare, eventually pipping Verstappen to the line by one-tenth of a second – the closest winning margin since 2002.

With that, Russell completed the first Grand Slam of his career – pole position, fastest lap and victory after leading every lap of the race.

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TOPSHOT – Mercedes’ British driver George Russell wins ahead of Red Bull Racing’s Dutch driver Max Verstappen in the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Andrej ISAKOVIC / POOL / AFP via Getty Images)

Returning to the cockpit after sitting out three rounds with a wrist injury, Isack Hadjar delivered a brilliant performance on his way to his second podium finish of the season.

At the second restart, the Frenchman applied pressure on Piastri for third place before the latter suffered a lock-up while defending on lap 40 which sent him wide into the run-off area and out of the top 10.

Piastri’s costly mistake opened the door for Hadjar to seize third place behind his teammate Verstappen – giving Red Bull their first double podium since China in 2024.

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Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing celebrate finishing in second and third place during the Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku City Circuit in Baku, Azerbaijan, on September 26, 2026. (Photo by Andrea Diodato/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc took fourth place in his Ferrari ahead of current championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who took advantage of the chaos to climb from P16 all the way to fifth.

The other Ferrari of Lewis Hamilton grabbed sixth place ahead of Arvid Lindblad’s Racing Bulls and the Haas duo of Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, with Carlos Sainz scoring the final point for Williams.

Looking at the championship standings, Russell brought his points tally to 236 after this round, trimming his deficit to teammate and title favorite Antonelli from 81 points down to 66.

Hamilton remains third, sitting 103 points back, while Norris’ DNF in Baku keeps him at 186 points, 116 off the lead.

Besides Antonelli, six drivers are still mathematically in contention for the title heading into round 16 of the season in Malaysia.

Here are the updated drivers’ standings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

Andrea Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes: 302 points

George Russell – Mercedes: 236 points (-66)

Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari: 199 points (-103)

Lando Norris – McLaren: 186 points (-116)

Charles Leclerc – Ferrari: 179 points (-123)

Max Verstappen – Red Bull: 163 points (-139)

Oscar Piastri – McLaren: 120 points (-182)

Liam Lawson – Racing Bulls: 59 points

Arvid Lindblad – Racing Bulls: 37 points

Franco Colapinto – Alpine: 27 points

Gabriel Bortoleto – Audi: 10 points

Alexander Albon – Williams: 5 points

Fernando Alonso – Aston Martin: 3 points

Yuki Tsunoda – Racing Bulls: 1 point

Lance Stroll – Aston Martin: 0 points

Valtteri Bottas – Cadillac: 0 points

Here are the updated constructors’ standings after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix:

1. Mercedes: 538 points

2. Ferrari: 378 points

3. McLaren: 306 points

4. Red Bull: 263 points

5. Racing Bulls: 83 points

6. Alpine: 68 points

7. Haas: 27 points

8. Audi: 17 points

9. Williams: 12 points

10. Aston Martin: 3 points

11. Cadillac: 0 points

The next round of the 2026 season is the Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia, scheduled for October 2-4.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com