Formula 1® Azerbaijan Recap – Challenging Conditions and Cutthroat Racing Bring Action to Baku
September 28, 2026
With over 70 gear changes over the course of the 3.7-mile circuit, gusty winds, and tight corners, the FORMULA 1® QATAR AIRWAYS AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX 2026 lived up to predictions that drama and carnage would mark the event. Indeed, with daily safety cars, multiple mechanical failures, and a third of the field unable to finish, it was anything but routine. Gusty winds and a dusty track with inconsistent, freshly paved sections added further challenges.
FREE PRACTICE
The opening free practice session on Thursday immediately claimed multiple drivers. A crash into the wall sidelined championship leader Kimi Antonelli, while Carlos Sainz’s brakes caught fire in the pits later in the session. The brake fire stemmed from a radio malfunction that prevented Sainz from providing his pit crew with advance notice of his arrival. The surprise and confusion distracted them, and the car’s brake fans were never installed, leading to hot brakes that ultimately caught fire.
The next day, the second free practice session brought more trouble. Arvid Lindblad crashed into the wall with 40 minutes remaining in the session, robbing him of valuable track time. Later, Oliver Bearman had to pull off the track when his engine failed, abandoning the session as well.
The final free practice session was a study in car handling, as gusty winds caught multiple drivers off guard, particularly in turn 16. Lance Stroll contacted the wall with 30 minutes remaining, resulting in a flat tire and forcing him to abandon the session early. Throughout the session, teams experimented with various drafting strategies, taking notes and preparing to use the winds to their advantage during the race.
In the end, each free practice session saw the same five drivers finish in the top five, albeit in differing orders: Russell, Antonelli, Verstappen, Leclerc, and Hamilton.
RACE QUALIFICATION
Friday’s qualification was delayed to provide cleanup crews with enough time to clear the track of debris left over from the preceding free practice sessions. While this extended the session, it still didn’t exceed the record of nearly two hours required for the 2025 race that saw a total of six red flags.
While less dramatic than last year’s qualification, this year nevertheless provided drama. After setting a time that would get him into Q2, Kimi Antonelli hit a wall, crippling his car and ending his qualification. He would ultimately start the race in P16.
As expected, the winds were strong, and drivers found that a perfect tow on one of the long straights could gain four tenths of a second. Q1 claimed both Aston Martins, both Cadillacs, and both Audis.
Q2 brought several notable developments. Hadjar, returning to the grid after a wrist injury that sidelined him for multiple races, delivered a strong performance and finished ahead of his teammate, Verstappen. Both Alpines advanced to Q3, showing consistent improvement since the start of the season. Finally, Williams advanced to Q3 for the first time this season, leaving Bearman, Albon, Ocon, and both Racing Bulls behind.
Q1 saw a commanding performance from Russell as he took pole position with a 0.837-second gap ahead of Leclerc, who finished in P2. The others struggled with lockups in many turns, particularly when braking on the dusty surface off the racing line. Piastri, Hadjar, and Norris rounded out the top five behind Russell and Leclerc.
RACE
Historically, Baku’s demanding circuit has established a 90-percent chance of a safety car, and 2026 upheld the trend as the race developed. But before sparks flew, the field got off to a clean start. Both Red Bulls raised eyebrows as they progressed quickly and steadily toward the front of the field, passing other teams with apparent ease.
The first retirement came from Lance Stroll, who experienced power unit troubles. He pulled over to the side of the track, and his car was moved clear without a flag. This would be his 11th DNF of the 2026 season.
The race settled into a stalemate for several laps, with Russell pulling ahead of P2 Piastri by a commanding 9.3 seconds by lap 23. Toward the back of the field, Antonelli had worked his way up to P9, gaining seven positions since the race start.
Lap 31 shook the race up when Albon crashed into the wall, and the subsequent safety car brought the field together, erasing Russell’s 11-second lead. On the restart, Colapinto took the dusty inside line and dove into turn one. There, he found a lack of traction and slid into the field, taking out Gasly and Norris. Colapinto extricated himself from the bunch and limped back to the pits, but the damage to his car was too significant to continue, and he retired. His eventual 10-second time penalty will likely be converted into a grid penalty in Malaysia.
Just a few laps after the restart, a lockup would also doom Piastri, dropping him from the points down to P15 – the next-to-last position of the field’s remaining cars.
In the final portion of the race, Verstappen nipped at race leader Russell, constantly hovering between a half-second and a full second behind, unable to pass. The final lap brought action on both ends of the field, as a car malfunction sent Bottas into the wall, and Verstappen nearly caught Russell after Russell struggled with a power loss as the pair approached the finish line. Russell ultimately clung to victory, finishing a mere 0.196 seconds ahead of Verstappen.
FINAL STANDINGS
- Russell
- Verstappen
- Hadjar
- Leclerc
- Antonelli
- Hamilton
- Lindblad
- Ocon
- Bearman
- Sainz
- Hülkenberg
- Lawson
- Bortoleto
- Piastri
- Perez
- Bottas (DNF)
- Colapinto (DNF)
- Gasly (DNF)
- Norris (DNF)
- Albon (DNF)
- Alonso (DNF)
- Stroll (DNF)
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