George Russell reduced his deficit to Kimi Antonelli in the driver standings to 66 points with victory at the Azerbaijan GP

Credit : Bryn Lennon/Getty Images

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend went the way many believed the 2026 season would play out. George Russell strolled to victory from pole, though with a little late jeopardy, whilst Kimi Antonelli ’s crash in qualifying meant he had to fight his way through the field to finish fifth. That, after all, was the order of things last season.

Yet the past few days in Baku are an inversion of the season’s storyline. It is Antonelli who has been the faster driver, heading for a maiden world title at the second time of asking. Russell has been the troubled one. This was only the Briton’s third victory of the season and his first since Austria in late June.…