What a race. George Russell has pulled off a massive victory at the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, holding off Max Verstappen by the tiniest of margins. We're talking one tenth of a second separating first and second place here. Russell managed to keep the Red Bull driver at bay through a chaotic afternoon in Baku to secure the win for Mercedes, and honestly, that's the kind of result that gets the heart racing.

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This wasn't some straightforward procession either. Verstappen was absolutely on it all race long, hunting Russell down and keeping the Mercedes driver honest from start to finish. The gap between them stayed razor thin for most of the afternoon, with both drivers pushing hard and making absolutely no mistakes. Russell just had that little bit extra when it mattered most, and he's proven why he's become one of the grid's premier racers.

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The victory is another feather in Mercedes' cap at this circuit. Baku clearly suits the team's setup and philosophy, and Russell delivered when it counted. For Verstappen and Red Bull, it's another near miss in a season that's clearly producing some incredibly tight racing. That tenth of a second could easily have gone either way on another day, which really shows just how competitive this battle between these two teams has been.

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With safety cars throwing their usual spanners in the works and the unpredictability Baku always throws at us, Russell managed to stay cool and collected when pressure was on. This kind of performance under extreme circumstances is exactly what separates the best from the rest on the Formula 1 grid. Mercedes will be absolutely buzzing after locking down another important result in what's shaping up to be a proper title fight.

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