Russell Wins Baku Without Breaking a Sweat, While Colapinto Wins the Headlines in One Single Lap
George Russell cruised to his third win of the season, while Franco Colapinto took out both his own teammate Gasly and Lando Norris in a single restart after a safety car.
George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix by the book – launched from pole with a 0.8-second advantage and simply didn’t give anyone a chance for 51 laps. His third win of the season, a 0.196-second cushion over Verstappen at the flag, and a calm Sunday while everything behind him was, quite literally, on fire.
Colapinto Found a Way to Be the Story Again
If you’ve ever wondered how one driver can eliminate two rivals with a single move, Franco Colapinto just gave a free masterclass. At the restart after the safety car on lap 36, the Argentine locked his brakes and drove straight into his own teammate Pierre Gasly, taking Lando Norris along for the ride. Three drivers, one move, zero points for everyone involved.
Colapinto’s career is already building quite a collection of moments like this, and Alpine is presumably considering whether to put a warning sticker on the back of his car reading “caution: driver behind.”
The First Safety Car Was a Much Quieter Affair
Before the Colapinto chaos, the race had already seen one neutralisation – on lap 30, Alex Albon crashed at Turn 5, without dragging anyone else into it. A modest little incident, compared to what was coming.
Antonelli Finished Behind His Own Teammate – But Still Leads by 66 Points
Championship leader Kimi Antonelli could only manage fifth, behind his teammate Russell, behind Verstappen, and behind Hadjar. Not the Italian’s most impressive Sunday, but thanks to his healthy cushion from earlier races, his lead over Russell in the standings remains a comfortable 66 points – plenty enough that he doesn’t need to lose sleep over one fifth place in Baku.
Full Results, Top 10
- George Russell, Mercedes
- Max Verstappen, Red Bull
- Isack Hadjar, Red Bull
- Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
- Kimi Antonelli, Mercedes
- Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
- Arvid Lindblad, Racing Bulls
- Esteban Ocon, Haas
- Oliver Bearman, Haas
- Carlos Sainz, Williams
Based on reporting by autosport.com.
