12:09
To be fair to Hadjar, he's going well here. He's right on Leclerc's tail now.
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari, 2026 Azerbaijan GP
© XPB Images
F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix LIVE: Russell beats Verstappen by 0.1s!
Live coverage of the 2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix
KEY MOMENTS
- Russell wins Baku race by 0.1s from Verstappen
- Safety car on lap 35 after multi-car crash
- Safety car on lap 30 for Albon crash
The 2026 Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix concludes on Saturday 26 September with the race, as Mercedes' George Russell starts from pole.
The 15th round of the 2026 campaign sees Andrea Kimi Antonelli start the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 81 points clear in the standings of Mercedes team-mate George Russell, following back-to-back wins at Monza and Madrid.
But the British driver has had the measure of Antonelli all weekend so far, with Russell dominating for pole as his team-mate crashed in Q1 and could not advance on 16th.
Russell appears to be overwhelming favourite to win the Baku race today, which could reignite his title hopes if Antonelli cannot make big gains from his lowly starting position.
Ferrari's Charles Leclerc will be hoping to challenge Russell in the early stages from second on the grid, as McLaren's Oscar Piastri goes from third.
Isack Hadjar impressed for Red Bull, as he put his car fourth on the grid in his first race since before the summer break, having been absent from the last three rounds due to a hand injury.
Team-mate Max Verstappen looked like Russell's biggest pole threat at the start of qualifying, but an engine issue meant he could do no more than eighth. The Dutchman has taken fresh power unit components for the race, but they come from his pool, meaning he will not drop down the order.
The slipstream has proven to be immensely powerful this weekend, which means overtaking down the massive main straight is likely to be plentiful during the race.
Safety cars are always a high possibility at Baku.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix schedule
Race - 12pm BST
26 Sep 2026
12:09
Now, will Red Bull invert the cars? He's the fastest driver on track and well within a shot of getting second today.
12:08
Verstappen takes Norris at Turn 3 for fifth now.
12:08
Lap 3/51
Russell leads onto lap three.
Hadjar takes Norris for fourth into Turn 1.
12:07
Leclerc looks like he's holding up the cars behind him.
12:07
Everyone has made it through the first lap cleanly.
12:07
Russell is already 1.3s clear of Piastri, so he's out of overtake mode range.
12:06
Verstappen takes sixth from Hamilton at Turn 3.
12:06
Lap 2/52
Onto the second lap. Russell leads from Piastri and Leclerc.
Norris takes fourth from Hadjar.
12:05
Antonelli has not made a good start. He's down in 17th.
12:05
Verstappen is up to seventh from eighth.
12:04
Russell leads into Turn 1 from Piastri and Leclerc. Norris is fourth.
12:04
Azerbaijan GP - Start (Lap 1/51)
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix is GO!
12:03
Russell is already coming up to his grid slot - but he's a long, long away ahead of the rest of the pack. He could be sat there a long time and that could be crucial at the launch.
12:00
Warm-up lap
The grid is off for its warm-up lap.
11:58
Tyre choice
Here are the starting tyres for everyone on the grid:
- Russell - M
- Leclerc - S
- Piastri - S
- Hadjar - S
- Norris - M
- Hamilton - S
- Gasly - M
- Verstappen - M
- Colapinto - M
- Bearman - S
- Lawson - S
- Albon - S
- Ocon - S
- Sainz - M
- Lindblad - M
- Antonelli - M
- Bortoleto - M
- Hulkenberg - M
- Bottas - M
- Perez - M
- Alonso - S
- Stroll - S
11:55
Five minutes to go!
11:54
Fernando Alonso said on Friday he's not expecting very much from his race in the Aston coming from the back of the grid.
11:50
Conditions are lovely ahead of the race. Air temp is around 26C, track temp about 46C.
And it looks like the wind from yesterday has died down quite a lot.
11:49
This race will run for 51 laps.
11:46
The national anthem has wrapped up, so it's time to get serious.
15 minutes till lights out.
11:44
Christian Horner's explosive attack on Adrian Newey
Who wants a bit of pre-race drama?
Well, Christian Horner has you covered 😯
Christian Horner makes explosive Adrian Newey claim: “I couldn’t rely on him”
Christian Horner and Adrian Newey were colleagues at Red Bull
11:42
Tyre strategy
McLaren's Will Joseph says the tyres are "very robust" here at Baku. While he expects there to be differences on what people start on, this is very much shaping up to be a one-stop.
11:40
Antonelli's race engineer says the Italian's car is "basically new" at this point, having been rebuilt from his qualifying shunt as well as an engine change on Thursday.
11:33
Just under half an hour until the race starts.
Get yourself a cuppa sorted and then get settled in front of the TV for the afternoon. I think we're in for a good one here!