Saturday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was George Russell‘s third victory of the 2026 Formula 1 campaign, and his first career grand slam, but leading every lap in the wind-swept streets of Baku meant much more to the Mercedes driver than just a fancy statistic.
For Russell, Baku ended a character building spell of six winless weekends in which his younger team-mate Kimi Antonelli only further asserted his dominance in the championship, underlined by a memorable comeback win in Monza where the Italian came through the field to defeat Russell.
Under the hood, it was also a period in which Russell’s resilience was tested as he struggled to come to grips with the demands of 2026’s unique regulations, while 20-year-old Antonelli appeared to just click with the Mercedes W17 seemingly without trying.
For a man who had been patiently waiting on competitive machinery for years, only to be usurped by a youngster when that title winning opportunity finally arrived, the Azerbaijan weekend was a rejuvenating tonic that rewarded the work he had been doing in the background to turn things around, and a confirmation that he was right not to lose his self-belief.
“It feels great,” Russell basked in his first win since June’s Austrian Grand Prix. “I’m very proud of the resilience that I and my close group of engineers have shown during the tough periods this year because there’s been a lot of hard work to overcome some of the challenges, to adapt my driving style to suit this new car better.
“F1 is so tough, you don’t get opportunities to practice this, and finally it’s coming to me a bit more intuitively than it once did, and I’m gaining confidence. And especially on circuits like this, it just allows you to eke out that little bit more on the brakes, get that little bit closer to the walls, and it’s been a flawless weekend.”
George Russell held off a charging Max Verstappen after a double safety car bunched up the field.
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
He added: “I never lost that faith in myself. Even through the tough moments I knew there was a reason why I was off the pace. It wasn’t like I just suddenly forgot how to drive, and I knew I would be able to find it again. I just had to be patient.”
While still trailing Antonelli by 66 points, which is making a title comeback a possibility but one with long odds, Russell at least felt like he was back on even footing, going into every race weekend with an opportunity to repeat his Baku form.
“I feel confident. It’s been four races since the break. I’ve been on the front row in three of them, three podiums from the four races. I feel I can fight for victory week-in, week-out now,” the Briton insisted after holding off a hounding Max Verstappen to notch a grand slam, which is a win from pole while leading every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race.
“I think it’s probably my first grand slam in Formula 1 and, for sure, the most dominant weekend I’ve had in my career. So, that has come at a really great moment. And also to achieve it on a circuit that requires so much commitment and confidence, I’m really proud of it.
“It would have been very easy for me to lose the faith this season. Not necessarily about winning the championship, but in terms of my ability, and that never happened.”
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