F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix: Winners and Losers From the Street Brawl

George Russell leads Baku’s list of winners

Baku once again produced a race of two distinct halves. The opening phase offered little drama, but two safety-car restarts transformed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, particularly after the lap 36 restart created a fresh group of winners and losers.

George Russell was the clear standout. The Mercedes driver controlled the race from pole position to the chequered flag and completed a grand slam, re-establishing his strongest form of the season after a difficult period alongside team-mate Kimi Antonelli.

Antonelli’s weekend was compromised by a combination of his own errors and limited track time, allowing Russell to make significant progress in the championship battle. The deficit remains 66 points, meaning a late-season challenge will depend heavily on Antonelli’s results, but Russell appears to be adapting more effectively to the demands of the 2026 cars.

“I think it’s just having more experience with this sort of new driving style I’ve adopted. And every race since the break, I feel like I’ve gone from strength to strength and I feel like more myself again. It’s been a really tough period for me, but I feel like I’ve come through the other side.”

Franco Colapinto’s costly Baku mistake

Franco Colapinto was among the weekend’s biggest losers after crashing into team-mate Pierre Gasly and eliminating both Alpine cars from contention. The incident erased the progress Alpine had made in its fight to reclaim fifth place in the standings and left the team deeply frustrated on Saturday night.

The collision also affected Lando Norris, who called for Colapinto to receive a race ban. Norris repeated the criticism several times in the mixed zone, making it clear that his comments were not simply an immediate reaction to the incident.

Flavio Briatore, Colapinto’s senior team figure, was also critical of the move. “I know that Franco has taken full responsibility for it, as he should; in fact he braked far too late considering the context of the race and the safety car restart. It was a very poor move for a driver of his experience.”

McLaren team principal Andrea Stella offered a pointed assessment of the situation. “I guess this is being reviewed by the stewards and I’m sure it will be reviewed by Flavio as well. I’m not sure which one is going to be harsher…”

Colapinto has impressed sufficiently during the season to secure a 2027 extension, so the Baku incident is unlikely to define his future at Alpine. However, the mistake is expected to remain part of Briatore’s assessment of the young driver.

Sergio Perez shines as Valtteri Bottas struggles

Sergio Perez produced one of the strongest performances of the weekend for Cadillac, while Valtteri Bottas endured a far less competitive outing. The performance gap between the two team-mates was substantial and could not be explained solely by their different race circumstances.

Perez immediately revived his reputation as a formidable street-circuit performer. He placed his Cadillac far higher than its underlying pace suggested, ran with the Audi drivers during the opening stint and built a 52-second advantage over Bottas before his team-mate finally pitted on lap 28.

Running in the slipstream and Overtake Mode window of Gabriel Bortoleto and later Carlos Sainz helped Perez maintain his position, but it did not fully explain the scale of the gap. Perez said: “It’s been one of my best weekends in Baku, I managed to get 150% out of that car,” Perez said. “We were fighting cars that are a second or two seconds faster than us, due to the overtake mode so we stayed with them throughout the first stint.”

Bottas, by contrast, said he would need to find answers after being able to fight only Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso. Perez’s performance provided Cadillac with a major positive, while Bottas’s lack of pace became one of the weekend’s unresolved questions.

Isack Hadjar returns from injury with a podium

Isack Hadjar marked his return from a three-week absence with what was likely his strongest Red Bull performance to date. Racing with a fractured left wrist after a boxing injury, Hadjar qualified fourth and finished third, matching the pace of team-mate Max Verstappen on the preferred soft tyres.

The French driver was preparing to attack Verstappen before the first safety car interrupted the race. His performance was particularly notable given the disruption to his development caused by the enforced absence. At 21, Hadjar demonstrated considerable resilience and showed that the injury had not diminished his competitiveness.

McLaren loses ground in difficult Baku weekend

McLaren’s weekend was undermined by both car performance and driver error. Lando Norris was entitled to be frustrated by Colapinto’s collision, but McLaren’s pace was sufficiently weak that Norris should not have been exposed to a midfield incident in the first place.

The team struggled with low-speed performance and aerodynamic efficiency in Baku. Oscar Piastri still qualified third and appeared capable of challenging for a podium, but he joined Norris in outbraking himself into Turn 1. That mistake dropped Norris into the midfield before the safety car reshaped the race.

Andrea Stella said Norris had been affected by an intermittent fuel-injection problem that reduced his straight-line speed in both qualifying and the race. McLaren also failed to optimise its energy deployment. Norris nevertheless accepted some responsibility for his own performance.

“I had no chance out there with the speed I had, but I’m sure there were some things I wasn’t doing well enough in driving,” he said. “I need to see what I can improve for next time.”

Esteban Ocon makes his case at Haas

Esteban Ocon delivered a timely result in Baku as uncertainty continues over his future with Haas. The Frenchman had already described himself as a “free agent” before the weekend, while Ferrari junior Rafael Camara was understood to have impressed Haas during a recent test at Portimao.

Ocon’s position has made every opportunity to demonstrate his value more significant. Haas’s VF-26 performed without major anomalies in Baku, allowing Ocon to secure eighth place after taking the position from team-mate Ollie Bearman.

He also defended his record forcefully during his media commitments: “I can say I deserve that, not all the rest of the shit. I’ve raced with everyone out there and I’ve always been on par. I’ve won in every championship that I’ve raced in. I won Formula 3. I won GP3. I won in Formula 1. I can do it, you know? I’m one of the best out there, and I’m not afraid to say it.”

Aston Martin’s performance concerns deepen

Aston Martin’s encouraging progress after its major Hungary upgrade was absent in Baku. Honda’s subsequent power-unit upgrade may have improved some areas, but the team remained well behind its rivals in overall performance.

Reliability and driveability also appeared to worsen. Lance Stroll retired from his fourth consecutive grand prix, while Fernando Alonso continued to encounter problems. The most visible weakness was straight-line speed: Alonso and Stroll were regularly as much as 30 km/h slower than Mercedes on Baku’s long straight.

Honda’s difficulties have renewed debate about whether the manufacturer should receive further regulatory assistance through the FIA’s ADUO catch-up mechanism, which is due to undergo additional changes. Honda has already received extra development capacity earlier in the year, meaning a substantial improvement will be required as early as 2027.

Why This Matters

The Baku race highlighted how quickly the competitive order can change when safety-car restarts introduce new strategic and sporting variables. George Russell converted a dominant weekend into a major confidence boost, while Sergio Perez and Isack Hadjar demonstrated that strong execution can elevate drivers beyond their cars’ expected performance.

The event also exposed important pressure points across the grid. McLaren’s low-speed and energy-management weaknesses limited both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri, Aston Martin’s reliability and straight-line deficits remain unresolved, and Franco Colapinto’s error has intensified scrutiny despite his 2027 extension. Esteban Ocon, meanwhile, used a strong result to strengthen his case during an uncertain period in his Haas career.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who won the Baku race?

George Russell won from pole position to complete a pole-to-flag victory and a grand slam.

Why was Franco Colapinto criticised?

Colapinto braked too late during a safety-car restart and collided with Pierre Gasly, while also affecting the wider race and drawing criticism from Lando Norris and Flavio Briatore.

Which drivers stood out in Baku?

Sergio Perez, Isack Hadjar and Esteban Ocon were among the strongest performers. Perez excelled for Cadillac, Hadjar finished third for Red Bull after returning from injury, and Ocon secured eighth for Haas.