New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nIt\u2019s the 10th narrowest margin in the history of Formula 1, safety car finishes excluded.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s only the third time this millennium that a race has been decided by less than 0.2s<\/p>\n
The previous smallest margin belongs to Rubens Barrichello, who defeated Ferrari teammate Michael Schumacher at the 2002 United States Grand Prix by 0.011s \u2014 though that result was influenced by Schumacher attempting to orchestrate a dead heat from the lead.<\/p>\n
Prior to that was the 2002 Austrian Grand Prix \u2014 though that result was artificially narrowed by Barrichello controversially acquiescing on the last lap to a team order to let Schumacher win.<\/p>\n
Before that? The 2000 Canadian Grand Prix, where Schumacher fairly and squarely beat Barrichello by 0.174s.<\/p>\n
The closest ever finish, for reference, was Peter Gethin\u2019s defeat of Ronnie Peterson at the 1971 Italian Grand Prix by just 0.01s.<\/p>\n
But this isn\u2019t the sort of history Russell is pursuing.<\/p>\n
After an utterly dominant victory, his eyes have returned to F1\u2019s biggest prize.<\/p>\n
“Love getting taken out by my teammate!” | 00:24<\/p>\n
RUSSELL GETS HIS BREAKTHROUGH AFTER 2026 RULES STRUGGLE<\/p>\n
\u201cIt feels great, to be honest,\u201d Russell enthused.<\/p>\n
So it should.<\/p>\n
This was the Briton\u2019s first grand chelem, or grand slam \u2014 victory from pole after leading every lap and setting the fastest lap of the race.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a rare achievement. Only 28 drivers before him have ever managed one \u2014 almost all of them world champions \u2014 and no-one has more than Jim Clark\u2019s eight.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo achieve it on a circuit that requires so much commitment and confidence, I\u2019m really proud,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Russell has been telling us for the last four races that he\u2019s turned a corner this season, even as he\u2019s continued to be outqualified and outscored by teammate and title leader Andrea Kimi Antonelli.<\/p>\n
But here was tangible proof that he\u2019s been telling the truth all along.<\/p>\n
Though the scale of his domination was embellished by qualifying mistakes by Andrea Kimi Antonelli, Verstappen and others, there\u2019s no doubting Russell was the form driver of the weekend, and by a considerable margin.<\/p>\n
As one of the highest profile strugglers to adapt to these regulations, that\u2019s a huge result \u2014 and one that might hearten some of his fellow travellers to have been put off by the new rules, like Oscar Piastri.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m very proud of the resilience that I and my close group of engineers have shown during the tough periods this year, because there\u2019s been a lot of hard work to overcome some of the challenges, to adapt my driving style to suit this new car better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cF1 is so tough. You don\u2019t get opportunities to practice this, and finally it\u2019s coming to me a bit more intuitively than it once did, and I\u2019m gaining confidence \u2014 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\u2019s been a flawless weekend.<\/p>\n
\u201cI never lost that faith in myself, even through a tough moment.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt wasn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel confident. It\u2019s been four races since the break. I\u2019ve 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hadjar re-signs ahead of F1 return | 01:22<\/p>\n
IS THE CHAMPIONSHIP BACK ON?<\/p>\n
Russell\u2019s comments would beg the obvious title question if he didn\u2019t already give us the answer pre-emptively, even if attempting to be indirect about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy teammate\u2019s had an incredible season,\u201d he said before the podium ceremony. \u201cHe\u2019s been pretty flawless throughout, but now we\u2019re getting to crunch time\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
The implication was clear, and he didn\u2019t shy away from it in the later press conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s much less pressure on me than there is him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t really consider myself in this fight for a number of races, purely because my performance wasn\u2019t strong enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I feel like if the season were to have started today, or since the summer break, I very much would have been able to fight.<\/p>\n
\u201cNow I\u2019ve got this big deficit. It can change quick. So I\u2019m not chasing that. I\u2019m chasing to win every race, and what will be, will be.\u201d<\/p>\n
All this just a fortnight after Russell declared his championship hopes over in Madrid.<\/p>\n
Has the situation changed that much?<\/p>\n
The maths has budged in his favour, but only slightly.<\/p>\n
Before Baku, he needed to outscore Antonelli by 9.0 points per round to overhaul him. That figure has come down to 8.25 points per round \u2014 assuming the Middle Eastern rounds aren\u2019t cancelled. If we swap Qatar and Abu Dhabi for Imola instead, the margin moves back out to 9.4 points per round.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an improbable gap that would allow Antonelli to finish second to Russell at every grand prix and still seal the deal.<\/p>\n
But pressure works in mysterious ways. Antonelli is only 20 years old and in only his second season in Formula 1. He will have an experience deficit at most of the remaining circuits. He\u2019s up against a driver who feels he has nothing to lose.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think this weekend taught me a lot,\u201d Antonelli said after recovering to fifth. \u201cI think in many occasions this weekend I just probably also with the mindset was not in the best place.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll just make sure that next weekend we get back at the right level.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s too soon to say the championship fight is back on, but Russell has suddenly decided he won\u2019t die wondering.<\/p>\n
F1 stars set to race in Bathurst?! | 03:54<\/p>\n
NORRIS CALLS FOR COLAPINTO RACE BAN AFTER TURN 1 CRASH<\/p>\n
Lando Norris wasn\u2019t at the races on Saturday \u2014 but even what was shaping up to be an anonymous middling points finish would have been better than ending up crashed out of the grand prix in a first-turn pile-up.<\/p>\n
Norris was attempting to gain two positions at the safety car restart from the outside line, but Franco Colapinto, who had restarted behind him, had other ideas.<\/p>\n
The Argentine targeted the turn 1 apex but then disastrously overcommitted on the brakes. He thumped into teammate Pierre Gasly, who then skittled Norris, and all three were out of the race.<\/p>\n
Norris ended the day scoreless for the first time since June\u2019s Monaco Grand Prix, and when Piastri ended up out of the points in events stemming from the ensuing second safety car, McLaren ended up with its first scoreless weekend of the season.<\/p>\n
At the end of a miserable day, the reigning world champion chose violence.<\/p>\n
He said that the crash was caused by \u201csome drivers that shouldn\u2019t be in Formula 1\u201d and then called for Colapinto to be barred from entering the next race.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the FIA should be more strict and start handing out bans for this kind of stuff,\u201d he said, per Racer. \u201cIt\u2019s just careless from people. It costs a lot of money. All my parts are in the bin now.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople should just get banned, because that\u2019s not driving that deserves to be in Formula 1.\u201d<\/p>\n
Colapinto owned up to causing the crash and apologised profusely, putting it down to his tyre and brakes being too cold to pull off the move.<\/p>\n
Norris didn\u2019t buy it.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn Formula 1 I think you expect drivers to anticipate things, to know grip is going to be low, know the tyre temps are low \u2014 they weren\u2019t even that low.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you\u2019re in Formula 1, you want to be against the best drivers in the world, and when stuff like this happens, it\u2019s because he shouldn\u2019t be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you cause a crash on a restart like this, you should have at least a one-race ban.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked about Norris\u2019s commentary, Colapinto refused to bite \u2014 though he did remember to apologise.<\/p>\n
\u201cSorry to Lando as well \u2014 I also took him out, not only Pierre,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s a big mistake of course. I just locked up and then I was very out of control; I couldn\u2019t do a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n
The stewards issued him a 10s penalty, which has been converted into a five-place grid drop for next weekend\u2019s grand prix in Malaysia.<\/p>\n
The stewards have the power to issue a race ban, though it\u2019s an extremely rare punishment.<\/p>\n
Interesting to note is that the last ban dished out was to Romain Grosjean in 2012 for causing a first-turn pile-up at the Belgian Grand Prix.<\/p>\n
He was slapped with a ban partly in recognition of his reputation for causing crashes \u2014 Mark Webber infamously described him as a \u201cfirst lap nutcase\u201d \u2014 which in turn played a role in the FIA coming up with a penalty points system that automatically handed out bans to repeat offenders.<\/p>\n
Kevin Magnussen became the first driver banned by penalty points in 2024.<\/p>\n
Colapinto was not handed any penalty points for the crash. He currently has three on his licence.<\/p>\n
Next week\u2019s drivers briefing will be fascinating.<\/p>\n
2027 Aussie Grand Prix gets sprint race | 01:29<\/p>\n
WAS THIS A GOOD OR BAD WEEKEND FOR PIASTRI?<\/p>\n
Norris\u2019s DNF was compounded for McLaren by Piastri\u2019s mistake, leaving McLaren with nothing to show for the upgrade package it brought to this weekend\u2019s race.<\/p>\n
In fact both drivers ultimately undid their afternoons with similar lock-ups at turn 1 \u2014 Norris had already dropped a swag of places to such a mistake but was less sternly punished for it because the field hadn\u2019t been bunched up behind the safety car.<\/p>\n
But it was particularly frustrating for Piastri all the same during what was his most competitive weekend in arguably months, keeping the much faster Red Bull Racing cars at bay for most of the race.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a bit weird,\u201d Piastri reflected. \u201cI didn\u2019t think I did anything spectacular. Obviously I was on a different line to what I normally would be, defending. I don\u2019t know if I got a crown in the road or something. It certainly was a surprise to me.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt would have been interesting to see if I could\u2019ve kept Hadjar behind. It would\u2019ve been tough. It\u2019s hard to tell on the medium, because they were pretty heavily flat-spotted, but I didn\u2019t feel anywhere near as good on the medium as I did on the soft.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think potentially we could\u2019ve been P4, but it\u2019s one thing saying we could\u2019ve been and another where we actually finished.\u201d<\/p>\n
But in pursuit of a positive takeaway, Piastri did say that he felt he\u2019d made progress with the car in Baku \u2014 a much needed result, even without the points, after an anonymous weekend last time out in Madrid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think in general I wouldn\u2019t necessarily say I\u2019ve been more comfortable, but I\u2019ve been able to get more lap time out of the car,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been able to understand which direction I need to go in with my driving especially.<\/p>\n
\u201cApart from one moment in the race, I felt like it\u2019s been a weekend much more at the level I expect of myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom that side, things have been much more encouraging; it\u2019s just pretty painful to not have anything to show for it.\u201d<\/p>\n
But arguably the biggest result for Piastri is the context. Norris lost points to Antonelli, putting his already long-shot championship hopes surely out of reach. The question of team orders and driver status is probably extinguished for this year.<\/p>\n
That takes off some of the pressure to urgently find a breakthrough \u2014 and with Russell showing drivers with this sort of driving style can overcome their problems, the outlook for Piastri looks most positive despite the non-result in Baku.<\/p>\n
CARNAGE as Max takes on 100 drivers | 02:04<\/p>\n
THE LOGIC BEHIND RED BULL RACING\u2019S MESSY TEAM ORDERS<\/p>\n
For the first time in what feels like living memory, Verstappen was challenged by his teammate directly on track.<\/p>\n
Even more remarkable was that, for a period of time, Verstappen was the slower driver.<\/p>\n
Isack Hadjar was quicker than him.<\/p>\n
It put Red Bull Racing in a painfully awkward situation.<\/p>\n
Verstappen recovered from eighth to fourth behind Hadjar in just six laps, and almost reflexively the team issued the order for the Dutchman to be let through.<\/p>\n
Only a few laps later, though, and Verstappen was radioing that his medium tyres were no good. Hadjar on his softs, meanwhile, was coming alive.<\/p>\n
For a moment Red Bull Racing appeared to ask Hadjar if he thought he could go quicker if he was let back into third place to challenge Piastri \u2014 effectively whether he wanted the team order reversed.<\/p>\n
He said he could go quicker \u2014 and then remarkably told the team not to swap him.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until several laps later, as Verstappen\u2019s pace continued dropping, that he began to hint and then tell the team to reverse positions.<\/p>\n
By then, though, the moment had gone.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe looked at all the scenarios honestly and we elected to hold the cars in that position, and both drivers have been very good at being disciplined with that,\u201d Laurent Mekies told Sky Sports.<\/p>\n
He was allowed to battle for the place \u2014 but around this track and against Verstappen? Fat chance.<\/p>\n
But Hadjar explained after the race that his decision not to push for team orders in his favour was calculated for the bigger picture.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the first place I should have never been overtaken, because I had the better tyres, and once they switched on, I was sitting behind but I knew I had the better grip,\u201d he said, but then added: \u201cI was honestly fine with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI knew it wouldn\u2019t change my race because anyway he was going to finish the race on the soft tyres, so for me I knew at this point third was my target. Piastri was the man to beat for me, and I\u2019m satisfied like that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Because Red Bull Racing split tyre strategies, had Hadjar been ahead at the safety car, he would\u2019ve ended up as a roadblock for Verstappen and probably would\u2019ve allowed Russell to build a buffer after the restart. Verstappen\u2019s tyres would\u2019ve been ruined.<\/p>\n
That Hadjar had the foresight to see that play out is a testament to his potential alongside Verstappen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s extremely rare that a driver\u2019s victory margin is greater than their pole margin. That\u2019s the challenge Max…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":906875,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[573],"tags":[64,63,817,813,816,85],"class_list":["post-906874","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-formula-1","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-f1","tag-formula-1","tag-formula1","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906874","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=906874"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/906874\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/906875"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=906874"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=906874"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=906874"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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