George Russell wins Azerbaijan GP in a close race with Max Verstappen

The Azerbaijan GP, ​​this Saturday morning (26), had an exciting end. In a race with six retirements and many yellow flags, Briton George Russell, from Mercedes, finished just 0.196s ahead of Dutchman Max Verstappen, from Red Bull, in one of the tightest races in history.

The triumph was essential for Russell to get closer to his teammate, Kimi Antonelli, in the fight for the title. Frenchman Isack Hadjar, Verstappen's Red Bull teammate, completed the podium.

Antonelli, leader of the Drivers' World Cup race, with 302 points, had a weekend to forget. The Italian suffered an accident in qualifying and started in 16th place, far from contention for the top spot.

Up there, Russell remained sovereign after starting on pole, but saw his opponents getting closer after several breaks during the race. In the final straight, Verstappen put pressure on the Briton, spending several laps less than a second behind the leader. Meanwhile, Brazilian Gabriel Bortoleto, from Audi, who had started just behind Antonelli, in 17th position, took advantage of some withdrawals to gain positions, finishing in 13th.

Russell withstood pressure from Verstappen and secured his third victory of the season, reaching 236 points in the driver standings table, in second place. Antonelli, who finished the race in fifth, still has a comfortable front.

The drivers will return to the tracks next weekend, when the Bahrain GP takes place.