George Russell holds off Verstappen by two tenths in a chaos filled Azerbaijan GP that wiped out both McLarens and both Alpines

[MondayMoan51]

George Russell won a dramatic Azerbaijan Grand Prix for Mercedes, crossing the line just 0.196 seconds ahead of Red Bull's Max Verstappen after a race repeatedly interrupted by crashes. Isack Hadjar finished third for Red Bull over ten seconds back, with Charles Leclerc fourth for Ferrari and Mercedes' Kimi Antonelli completing the top five despite starting the race from 16th on the grid following a qualifying crash.

The chaos began early when Alex Albon crashed his Williams at Turn Five, triggering the race's first Safety Car, but the real carnage came on the Safety Car restart, when Franco Colapinto's Alpine collided with both Pierre Gasly's Alpine and Lando Norris's McLaren, eliminating both Alpine drivers and both McLarens from the race in a single incident. Valtteri Bottas added a final flourish by crashing his Cadillac right as the race itself was concluding.

The result has significant championship implications heading into the season's closing stretch. Russell's win cuts his deficit to championship leader Antonelli to 66 points, while Lewis Hamilton sits third overall, 103 points back with eight races remaining, and Norris now trails by 116 points with what look like fading title prospects after Azerbaijan's chaos cost him valuable points. In the constructors' standings, Mercedes extended its lead over Ferrari to 160 points, with Antonelli's recovery drive from 16th to fifth standing out as one of the day's most impressive individual performances.

George Russell holds off Max Verstappen to win eventful F1 Azerbaijan GPwww.theguardian.com