George Russell’s pole-to-flag win at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix highlights Mercedes’ progress in unlocking his full potential, yet questions linger about whether the improvement comes too late in the season.
At 28, Russell secured his eighth Grand Prix victory and first career grand slam in Baku, leading every lap from pole position and setting the fastest lap.
The result narrows the gap to his teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli, who recovered from a qualifying crash that dropped him to 16th on the grid to finish fifth.
Russell’s deficit has fallen from 81 to 66 points, but with only eight races left and Antonelli maintaining strong form, Russell remains a long shot for the championship.
This turnaround follows a disappointing first half of the season, during which Russell claimed two wins before the summer break compared to Antonelli’s six; recent upgrades are now beginning to yield results.
“I didn’t really see myself in contention for several races because my performance wasn’t up to par,” Russell admitted.
“Now I feel that, had the season started today or after the summer break, I could have been competitive.”
George Russell, Mercedes, Oscar Piastri, McLaren
Photo by: Alex Pantling / LAT Images via Getty Images
His approach remains unchanged; the best course is to take each race individually, beginning with this weekend’s one‑off return to Malaysia.
“I now face a sizable deficit,” Russell added, noting he returned from the summer break 59 points behind Antonelli.
“The situation can shift rapidly, so I’m not focused on chasing the deficit; my goal is to win each race and let the outcome unfold.”
For Antonelli, the key takeaway from Baku is how he rebounded from a weekend that threatened to derail him after losing track time due to FP1 issues.
Although an unforced error in Q1 put him on the back foot, Antonelli delivered a composed performance to limit the damage—contrasting with McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who overcompensated in a similar scenario a year ago and crashed on lap one.
Instead, Antonelli methodically worked his way through the midfield, and a double safety‑car period helped him secure a fifth‑place finish.
“There’s far less pressure on me than on him,” Russell acknowledged. “He’s enjoyed a nearly flawless season, and this qualifying mistake was likely his first error in a proper session this year—yet he still finished fifth.”
