George Russell won the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from pole, leading every lap in a strong Mercedes performance, though a late turbocharger problem let Max Verstappen close to within two-tenths of a second at the finish. The race highlighted the sport’s mix of speed, spectacle and risk on Baku’s tight street circuit, while Kimi Antonelli’s qualifying crash showed how little room the drivers have for error.

Antonelli, the championship leader, damaged his car in the first qualifying session and started 16th; he recovered to fifth but called his drive poor. Verstappen finished second, with Isack Hadjar third after out-qualifying his Red Bull team-mate on his return from a hand injury. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton placed fourth and sixth, respectively, as Ferrari’s upgrade failed to revive its title hopes and speculation grew over team principal Fred Vasseur’s future.