Baku once again delivered a split‑personality race, a bland first half followed by a thrilling dessert after two safety‑car restarts. The lap‑36 restart turned the field upside down, adding new losers while unexpected heroes emerged.
Winner: George Russell
The double safety‑car chaos suited George Russell perfectly. He owned the weekend from pole to flag, sealing a grand slam.
Kimi Antonelli’s messy weekend, hampered by limited track time, left him trailing, while Russell found his stride again.
Antonelli’s surge may spark a late‑season comeback, but it could also arrive too late. Russell still leads by 66 points, yet his 2026 car development finally clicks.
I think gaining experience with my new driving style has helped. Every race since the break I’ve gotten stronger, feeling like myself again. It’s been a tough spell, but I’ve come through.
Loser: Franco Colapinto
Crashing into a teammate is bad; wrecking a rival’s car is worse. Alpine’s hard‑won fight for fifth vanished when they collided with Pierre Gasly’s sidepod.
Franco Colapinto’s Baku error even drew world champion Lando Norris’s call for a race ban, a sentiment he repeated throughout the mixed zone.
An over‑reaction after Norris’s frustrating afternoon? Perhaps. Still, Colapinto’s boss Flavio Briatore didn’t seem thrilled.
I know Franco took full responsibility, as he should; he braked far too late for the safety‑car restart. It was a very poor move for a driver of his experience.
Flav. Never one to mince words, often the same with his drivers.
Andrea Stella summed it up: ‘The stewards will review it, and I’m sure Flavio will too. I wonder which will be harsher.’ For my money, the latter will bite.
Colapinto earned a 2027 extension, so the Baku slip will likely be forgiven, though Briatore won’t forget it.
Winner: Sergio Perez / Loser Valtteri Bottas
Was Sergio Perez simply brilliant or was Valtteri Bottas just dull? The stark gap between the Cadillac pair hints at a mix of both.
Perez dazzled from the start, reviving his street‑circuit reputation and lifting Cadillac beyond its usual standing. Bottas lagged, letting Perez pull a 52‑second lead by lap 28.
Riding in the slipstreams of Gabriel Bortoleto and Carlos Sainz gave Perez a temporary boost, but it doesn’t explain the massive performance gap.
It’s been one of my best weekends in Baku; I got 150 % out of the car,” Perez said. “We were battling cars a second or two quicker because of overtake mode, yet we stayed with them.” Bottas added he must search for answers after only matching Fernando Alonso’s Aston Martin.
Winner: Isack Hadjar
Isack Hadjar returned from injury with perhaps his strongest Red Bull showing, matching his Zandvoort podium performance.
Despite a fractured left wrist, Hadjar qualified fourth and finished third, challenging Max Verstappen on soft tyres and even gearing up to attack before the first safety car.
Hadjar’s three‑week boxing‑injury layoff stalled his progress, but the 21‑year‑old proved he isn’t fragile.
Loser: McLaren
Norris can rightfully be angry at Colapinto, and a social‑media break might help his flooded inbox. Yet he shouldn’t have been in midfield traffic at all, given McLaren’s poor low‑speed and aero performance in Baku.
Still, Oscar Piastri qualified third and seemed podium‑worthy until he, like Norris, braked into Turn 1, dropping Norris to the midfield before the safety car.
Stella explained Norris suffered an intermittent fuel‑injection fault that hampered straight‑line speed, and the team missed its energy‑deployment puzzle. Norris admitted, ‘I had no chance with that speed, but I know I can improve.’
Perez and Esteban Ocon enjoyed a solid Baku weekend; Colapinto did not.
Winner: Esteban Ocon
A name rarely highlighted this year finally got a chance to redeem himself in Baku.
It’s been known that Ocon’s future at Haas was uncertain. Before Baku, he announced he was a ‘free agent,’ while Ferrari junior Rafael Camara impressed in a recent Portimão test.
Racing while knowing your seat is temporary and the team eyes 2027 replacements isn’t easy, especially in an inconsistent car.
In Baku, Ocon’s VF‑26 ran clean, and he snatched eighth from teammate Ollie Bearman, then defended his result in the press.
I can say I earned that, not the rest of the junk. I’ve raced everyone, won in every series—F3, GP3, F1. I’m among the best and I’m not shy about it.
Loser: Aston Martin
Aston Martin’s hopes after the big Hungary upgrade now appear gone. Honda’s new power‑unit tweak helped some areas but still lags the competition.
Reliability even seemed to slip, with Lance Stroll retiring for the fourth straight race and Fernando Alonso plagued by issues.
The biggest shortfall is straight‑line speed; Alonso and Stroll were up to 30 km/h slower on Baku’s long straight than Mercedes.
Honda’s woes have reignited debate over extra regulatory aid, as the FIA’s ADUO catch‑up may be tweaked. Yet Honda already has development headroom and must show a major leap by 2027.
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– The Team