Key events<\/p>\n
The report from our man Giles Richards has now landed, which means this live blog can conclude. It\u2019s been a good day for George Russell in Azerbaijan, though he had to work mightily hard for the race win, coming under severe pressure from Red Bulls Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar, who were second and third, after a dramatic finish to the race. Reigning world champion Lando Norris was among those who crashed out.<\/p>\n
Kimi Antonelli, who was fifth, loses a bit of ground in the race for this year\u2019s world championship. Next stop: Malaysia next weekend!<\/p>\n
Share<\/a>Updated World Championship standings<\/p>\n DRIVERS<\/p>\n Antonelli (Mercedes) \u2013 302 points<\/p>\n Russell (Mercedes) \u2013 236<\/p>\n Hamilton (Ferrari) \u2013 199<\/p>\n Norris (McLaren) \u2013 186<\/p>\n Leclerc (Ferrari) \u2013 179<\/p>\n Verstappen (Red Bull) \u2013 163<\/p>\n Piastri (McLaren) \u2013 120<\/p>\n Hadjar (Red Bull) \u2013 86<\/p>\n Lawson (Racing Bulls) \u2013 59<\/p>\n Gasly (Alpine) \u2013 41<\/p>\n Lindblad (Racing Bulls) \u2013 37<\/p>\n Colapinto (Alpine) \u2013 27<\/p>\n Bearman (Haas) \u2013 20<\/p>\n Bortoleto (Audi) \u2013 10<\/p>\n Hulkenberg (Audi) \u2013 7<\/p>\n Ocon (Haas) \u2013 7<\/p>\n Sainz (Williams) \u2013 7<\/p>\n Albon (Williams) \u2013 5<\/p>\n Alonso (Aston Martin) \u2013 3<\/p>\n Tsunoda (Racing Bulls) \u2013 1<\/p>\n CONSTRUCTORS<\/p>\n Mercedes \u2013 538 points<\/p>\n Ferrari \u2013 378<\/p>\n McLaren \u2013 306<\/p>\n Red Bull \u2013 263<\/p>\n Racing Bulls \u2013 83<\/p>\n Alpine \u2013 68<\/p>\n Haas \u2013 27<\/p>\n Audi \u2013 17<\/p>\n Williams \u2013 12<\/p>\n Aston Martin \u2013 3<\/p>\n Cadillac \u2013 0<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n You may think Verstappen is happy with second, but that\u2019s not his mentality.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a good race, it was a bit difficult with the medium tyre, but we had a good restart \u2026 I got close, but it was not enough.\u201d<\/p>\n Hadjar says: \u201cI\u2019m happy. It\u2019s been a very long six weeks since I enjoyed myself, but I felt strong and I\u2019m very happy for a first proper podium on pure pace. I\u2019m completely satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Let\u2019s hear from the top three finishers, with Russell, Verstappen and Hadjar all speaking to the media. Timo Glock is on the microphone.<\/p>\n Russell says: \u201cIt\u2019s amazing to be back on the top step of the podium. I\u2019m really proud to have had this weekend. The first half of the race felt pretty plain sailing, Max almost got me on the line, but all-in-all an incredible weekend.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel more like myself again, which is great.\u201d<\/p>\n Race winner George Russell of Great Britain. Photograph: Guido De Bortoli\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a009.16 EDT<\/p>\n Here are the other finishers:<\/p>\n 11th: Hulkenberg, 12th: Lawson, 13th: Bortoleto, 14th: Piastri, 15th: Perez.<\/p>\n DNF: Stroll, Alonso, Albon, Norris, Gasly, Bottas, Colapinto.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Final race standings<\/p>\n Here are the points positions:<\/p>\n 1. Russell (Mercedes)<\/p>\n 2. Verstappen (Red Bull)<\/p>\n 3. Hadjar (Red Bull)<\/p>\n 4. Leclerc (Ferrari)<\/p>\n 5. Antonelli (Mercedes)<\/p>\n 6. Hamilton (Ferrari)<\/p>\n 7. Lindblad (Racing Bulls)<\/p>\n 8. Ocon (Haas)<\/p>\n 9. Bearman (Haas)<\/p>\n 10. Sainz (Williams)<\/p>\n Share<\/a>George Russell wins the Azerbaijan Grand Prix<\/p>\n Victory for Russell in Baku \u2013 only just after a late charge by Verstappen! A big moment for the Brit in his quest to chase down Mercedes teammate Antonelli in the world championship standings.<\/p>\n The race finished with a yellow flag out after Valtteri Bottas crashed into a barrier.<\/p>\n Russell is the deserved race winner but he was made to sweat right at the end, winning by 0.1 seconds.<\/p>\n Russell wins ahead of Verstappen. Photograph: Andrej Isakovi\u0107\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.54 EDT<\/p>\n Final lap: To be honest, it would now take something of a Devon Loch moment from Russell to squander this race victory. And he\u2019s barely looked close to making a mistake this afternoon.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Three laps to go.<\/p>\n This is a fun battle to watch between Russell and Verstappen.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Verstappen still has speed but he just cannot get within striking distance of Russell, with time now running out. Red Bull may have to settle for two podiums for their drivers, without the actual race win.<\/p>\n Russell under pressure from Verstappen. Photograph: James Sutton\/Formula 1\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.40 EDT<\/p>\n Lap 48\/51: Four laps to go. Will we get any further drama in Baku?<\/p>\n Lindblad is chasing down Bearman in a big battle for eighth \u2013 and he\u2019s passed him!<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 47\/51: We\u2019re at the real business end of this race now and Antonelli has sustained a bit of wing damage, which may impair his ability to climb further up the standings in the time he\u2019s got left.<\/p>\n Will the world championship leader settle for fifth?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Russell has looked comfortable for the majority of the race, but Verstappen is giving it absolutely everything to push the Mercedes for the race win. The gap is around half a second, with five laps to go.<\/p>\n Can the four-time world champion pull it off?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 45\/51: It\u2019s shaping up to be a decent weekend for Haas, whose drivers Ocon and Bearman are in seventh and eighth respectively. They\u2019ll be happy to pick up points.<\/p>\n There will be no further action for Lindblad and Liam Lawson for their turn one incident earlier on.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 43\/51: That didn\u2019t take long! Antonelli is past Hamilton and into fifth. There\u2019s a 3.5 second gap to Leclerc in fourth, which may not be insurmountable.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.28 EDT<\/p>\n Antonelli now has his sights on Lewis Hamilton. He\u2019s right on the Ferrari\u2019s tail \u2026 surely he\u2019ll get past him at some stage.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 42\/51: This is now an ideal situation for George Russell in his quest for the world championship. He\u2019s out in front \u2013 though will have to see off Verstappen in the next nine laps \u2013 and Antonelli is still down in sixth, though the Italian deserves credit for making up so much ground.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 41\/51: The stewards have noted a number of incidents, which happened in those restarts after the safety car was out. It\u2019s likely that Colapinto will be in trouble for causing Gasly and Norris to crash out.<\/p>\n Colapinto crashes his Alpine into Gasly and Norris. Photograph: Michael Potts\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.33 EDT<\/p>\n The McLarens have not enjoyed their weekend in Baku, have they? Norris out; Piastri now P15 after that.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 40\/51: Verstappen is right into Russell\u2019s slipstream down the straight \u2013 oh and Piastri locks up trying to defend from Hadjar and finds himself out of the points completely! The Australian has lost loads of places there.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 39\/51: Russell holds off Verstappen on the restart, but the Red Bull of Hadjar is pressurising Piastri. Doing something similar to Lewis Hamilton is Kimi Antonelli. The Red Bulls and the Mercedes have the speed right now.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n We\u2019re racing again, again! Right, can Verstappen challenge Russell for the victory?<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n With the safety car about to end (again), here\u2019s how the top 10 currently looks:<\/p>\n Russell<\/p>\n Verstappen<\/p>\n Piastri<\/p>\n Hadjar<\/p>\n Leclerc<\/p>\n Hamilton<\/p>\n Antonelli<\/p>\n Ocon<\/p>\n Bearman<\/p>\n Lindblad<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 38\/51: To confirm: Gasly and Norris join Alonso, Stroll and Albon in being confirmed DNFs in this race. Somehow Colapinto is able to carry on, although he needs a pit stop with Lawson also OK to continue, although he lost a few positions.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Replays show Colapinto slide into his Alpine teammate Pierre Gasly, who in turn hit Norris, who was trying to get around the outside of the duo. That\u2019s very unfortunate for Norris, really. He had nowhere to go.<\/p>\n Liam Lawson was also involved in a crash, hit by his teammate, Lindblad.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.16 EDT<\/p>\n Norris out of the race<\/p>\n The yellow flag is being waved again after that crash, which appeared to have involved Norris. Goodness me, a nightmare for the reigning world champion, who is seen walking over the track and is car is picked up by recovery vehicles.<\/p>\n Gasly and Norris caught in a crash. Photograph: Joe Portlock\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.17 EDT<\/p>\n Lap 35\/51: We\u2019re back under racing conditions after a spell of weaving to get heat on the tyres and Verstappen jumps Piastri and climbs into second.<\/p>\n Oh goodness, there\u2019s a bit of a collision in the middle of the pack. But the big beneficiary there is Verstappen, who is now right on Russell\u2019s tail.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Safety car ending! Here we go \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 34\/51: It benefits Russell and Mercedes as these laps with the safety car still out tick down.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The recovery team are still clearing things up after Albon\u2019s crash and the safety car is still out. Hopefully we get back to racing soon, because I think it could be rather exciting. Patience.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Top 10 as it stands after 33 laps:<\/p>\n Russell<\/p>\n Piastri<\/p>\n Verstappen<\/p>\n Hadjar<\/p>\n Leclerc<\/p>\n Hamilton<\/p>\n Gasly<\/p>\n Antonelli<\/p>\n Norris<\/p>\n Colapinto<\/p>\n A reminder than Stroll, Alonso and Albon are all OUT of the race as DNFs.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 32\/51: They\u2019re all back out onto the track and the pack have closed up, with Russell\u2019s huge lead pretty much gone. It could make for an exciting finale to the race.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n OK, Verstappen and Hadjar are pitting, a double stack from Red Bull. Piastri also pits.<\/p>\n This is going to be chaotic when all the cars emerge to jostle for position \u2026<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Antonelli quickly pits and gets the soft tyres on; Lando Norris does the same after his lockup. Who will benefit from this safety car and will we get a red flag?<\/p>\n We shall find out soon. The top six still haven\u2019t pitted, but Mercedes may bring their race leader Russell in shortly.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Yellow flag: Another big incident \u2013 Alex Albon has smashed into the wall and there\u2019s a yellow flag signal out there now. Safety car time \u2026<\/p>\n The damaged Williams car of Albon. Photograph: Guido De Bortoli\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.15 EDT<\/p>\n Oh no, what\u2019s happened to Lando Norris? A big lockup from the McLaren has him spinning in circles on the straight \u2013 he\u2019s lost positions, taken a big knock to the tyre and will need to box soon.<\/p>\n Norris locks a front left wheel under braking. Photograph: Michael Potts\/LAT ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.03 EDT<\/p>\n Lap 29\/51: Leclerc is miles behind Hadjar, so the Red Bulls have third and fourth locked up. They could afford to bring their guys into the pit lane.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Why don\u2019t Red Bull simply bring Verstappen into the pit lane, given his tyre problems? Yeah \u2026 I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n \u201cThe softs can clearly do half the race,\u201d vents Verstappen on the radio.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 27\/51: Verstappen is again having to defend some attacks from Hadjar. \u201cCan I go for it, or what?\u201d is the \u2013 very relevant \u2013 question from the Frenchman, who is advised to \u201ckeep it clean\u201d by team engineers.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n George Russell is about to lap the back-marker, Valtteri Bottas, which shows how much quicker his Mercedes is than those teams at the back of the grid. It\u2019s now a 10-second lead for the British driver, a comfortable day for him, although he\u2019s just revealed he \u201cnibbled\u201d the wall on a recent turn. Shouldn\u2019t be too much of an issue.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 24\/51: Hadjar still looks speedy and in better shape than his Red Bull teammate, Verstappen, although the Dutchman is still ahead in third.<\/p>\n Norris, like Verstappen, looks short of speed on the medium tyre and is languishing in P7.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Lap 22\/51: So, 20 drivers and 10 teams remain in this race and we\u2019re not far off the halfway mark.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Oh dear, it\u2019s not a pit stop for Alonso, the veteran driver is OUT of the race altogether. A double DNF for Aston Martin and a nightmare weekend for them, with major car issues.<\/p>\n Alonso retires from the race. Photograph: Andrej Isakovi\u0107\/AFP\/Getty ImagesShare<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a008.01 EDT<\/p>\n Carlos Sainz in the Williams is the first driver to head for the pit lane. Will that trigger others to do the same? We\u2019ll see \u2013 Alonso is also pitting.<\/p>\n