George Russell pulled off something special at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, becoming the first driver in his eight-year Formula 1 career to achieve a Grand Slam. The Mercedes driver absolutely dominated from pole position, leading every single lap and grabbing the fastest lap too. It looked like a cruise to victory for the 28-year-old, but a couple of safety car interventions turned what should've been a straightforward Sunday into a proper nail-biter.

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Russell's perfection came under serious threat thanks to back-to-back safety cars. First, Williams' Alex Albon crashed at Turn 5 on lap 30, and then Alpine's Franco Colapinto produced a shocking moment on the restart by taking out both his teammate Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris at Turn 1. These incidents allowed Max Verstappen of Red Bull to pit for fresh soft tyres and suddenly he was right on Russell's gearbox, hunting for what would've been his first win of the season.

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The Red Bull racer came desperately close to pulling off a last-lap heist when Valtteri Bottas buried his Cadillac into the barriers at Turn 15. Russell lost time navigating the double-waved yellows and Verstappen closed to within 0.3 seconds, but a strong exit from the corner kept the Mercedes driver just ahead. Russell crossed the line by 0.196 seconds, holding onto his victory in one of the most dramatic finishes you could ask for.

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Mercedes deputy team principal Bradley Lord was honest about just how tense those final moments were. He told BBC Radio 5 Live that his heart was absolutely in his mouth watching Verstappen charge, but he reckoned Russell had earned his win fair and square after driving flawlessly all day. Lord said it would've been a 'grave injustice' if Verstappen had snatched victory, given how dominant Russell had been before the chaos kicked off. For Verstappen, it was yet another second-place finish in 2026, adding to his disappointments at Austria, Hungary, and Madrid.

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