George Russell wins Azerbaijan GP after Colapinto crash

George Russell claimed victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen by 0.195 seconds in a race disrupted by safety cars and a significant crash between Alpine teammates, Infobae reported.

Verstappen pressured Russell throughout the 51-lap event at the Baku street circuit but could not complete a pass, settling for second place. Red Bull’s Isack Hadjar completed the podium in third. Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli finished fifth after starting 16th, while Carlos Sainz recovered to 10th for Williams.

Colapinto crash

The race turned chaotic during a restart on lap 35. Franco Colapinto locked his brakes and collided with his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, with the impact also catching Lando Norris. All three drivers retired from the race.

“Bloqueé cuando empecé a frenar y después estuve fuera de control toda la frenada,” Colapinto said. “No tuve mucho por hacer.”

The crash occurred shortly after a safety car period triggered by Alex Albon’s crash. Alpine, running in the points with both cars, lost significant ground in the Constructors’ Championship. The team remains sixth but saw its deficit to fifth-place Racing Bulls grow to 17 points.

Race progression

Russell started from pole and maintained the lead through the opening stint. Verstappen climbed from eighth to second by the restart following Albon’s incident. Antonelli’s drive through the field from 16th to fifth was a standout performance, as he navigated the confusion caused by the Colapinto crash to score solid points.