Russell thanks Mercedes for “continuing to believe in me” after Baku victory

Summary

Russell converted pole position into victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A loss of turbo power after a yellow flag gave Verstappen a late chance to pass.
Russell thanked Mercedes after cutting Kimi Antonelli’s championship lead to 66 points.

George Russell thanked Mercedes for continuing to believe in him after winning Saturday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The Briton had controlled much of the race, but finished just 0.196 seconds ahead of Max Verstappen after a tense final lap.

“Job done. It was a great weekend,” Russell said after the race. “It got a bit tense towards the end. Max was really pushing hard, and our pace was incredible. The two of us were pulling almost a second a lap on everybody else.”

Russell said the closest moment came when he slowed for a yellow flag. “When I went back on the power, I had no turbo. With no power, that’s when he almost passed me,” he explained. Despite the scare, Russell held on for his third Grand Prix win of the season, with Isack Hadjar completing the podium for Red Bull.

The Mercedes driver had taken pole on Friday by 0.837 seconds over Charles Leclerc. Russell said he felt comfortable enough during the race to keep extending his lead before the interruptions brought Verstappen back into contention. “I felt on course just to keep pulling away and was in a really good groove this weekend. I hope it continues,” he said.

The result moved Russell to 236 points in the Drivers’ Championship. Teammate Kimi Antonelli recovered from 16th on the grid to finish fifth and remains the leader on 302, 66 points ahead. www.formula1.com