Formula One Gradebook: Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Round 15 of the 2026 Formula One World Championship saw the drivers taking to the streets of Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. On the shores of the Caspian Sea, the Baku City Circuit is designed as a test not only for all 22 drivers but also for the teams on their pit-wall with Safety Cars and red flags a regular occurrence.
Mercedes’ George Russell took the chequered flag by only 0.102s, the closest race finish in F1 since 2002. As a result of the win, the gap in the standings is down to 66 points.
Mercedes
George Russell: A+
Delivering one of the most dominant performances of his career so far, Russell took his first lights-to-flag victory for his third win of the season. After retaining the lead of the race on the opening lap, the Briton went on to build a sizable advantage to the cars behind.
Although he seemed set to cruise to victory, two Safety Cars meant that other drivers behind were quickly brought back into race-winning contention. Keeping his cool under pressure, even with a slight tap to the wall in the closing laps of the race, Russell crossed the line ahead of the rest for Mercedes’ first win in Baku since 2016.
Achieving his first career Grand Slam, Russell almost collected his first weekend Grand Slam but missed out on this opportunity after failing to top the timesheets in FP3.
Kimi Antonelli: A-
After a major crash in Q1, the current championship leader was set to start in 16th. When the lights went out, Kimi Antonelli struggled and dropped further down the order; however, he soon found pace in his Mercedes and began to make his way through the field.
With the first Safety Car called at an opportune moment, Antonelli was able to come into the pits and subsequently kept clear of the action on the first restart. When the chequered flag was waved, Antonelli was fifth after a decent recovery drive. For the first time in five weekends, the Italian failed to extend his championship lead and had only his third non-podium finish of the season so far.
Ferrari
Charles Leclerc: B
Having started the race in second, there can be no doubt that the Ferrari driver would have hoped for a strong finish. However, these hopes were quickly dashed after he lost position on the opening lap and quickly came under pressure from the faster cars behind.
It soon became clear that Leclerc did not have the pace to keep position compared to either of the Red Bull cars behind, and in the end, the Monégasque driver finished fourth after a relatively lonely and action-free race.
Lewis Hamilton: B
On the opposite side of the Ferrari garage, Lewis Hamilton started the race in sixth and it soon became clear that he did not have the pace of his teammate, especially on the straights. The seven-time former world champion’s opening stint in Baku was dominated by his pursuit of the McLaren ahead whom he did eventually pass.
Hamilton played an important role in Antonelli’s quest to make it to the front as he was the Ferrari to be overtaken in the closing stages of the race. Given his lack of speed during the race, and Ferrari’s lack of opportunity to change Hamilton’s fortunes, the British driver came home in sixth where he started the race.
McLaren
Lando Norris: B-
The reigning world champion started the race in fifth however, just like the rest of his weekend, struggled for pace due to electrical issues as confirmed by McLaren. Having gained position in the opening laps, it seemed that a double McLaren podium was on the cars; however, Lando Norris’ pace soon fell away and he was passed by Hamilton after making a mistake.
Later in the race, a second mistake saw him drop down the order to 10th where any hope of a podium was entirely abandoned. Things continued to deteriorate for Norris as, on the Safety Car restart, he found himself a part of a chain of events which saw him forced to retire from the race.
Oscar Piastri: B
After one of his best qualifying performances of the season, Piastri started the race in third and his opening lap performance indicated that the Australian would take his first podium since Miami. Having caught out Leclerc on the start, Piastri struggled to close the gap to Russell ahead but kept the Red Bull behind at bay.
However, the Australian’s defensive work was voided after his pit-stop under Safety Car conditions. Having experienced a difficulty in tyre-warm up on the medium compound tyres, Piastri dropped down the order. An excellent race was further undone when the Australian driver locked up on the second restart and as a result, he dropped down the order to finish in 13th.
Red Bull
Max Verstappen: A
The Dutchman started in eighth after experiencing deployment issues in qualifying however, the decision was made to change the Dutchman’s Power Unit overnight. The Red Bull proved to be a formidable race car with the four-time former world champion finding himself up into the podium positions within a handful of laps. Max Verstappen’s opening stint was dominated by his battle with Piastri ahead for the runner’s up position and he eventually caught the Australian after the first restart.
However, passing Russell for the race win proved to be a harder battle on the second restart. The pair continued to fight for the race win to the line, and for all his troubles, Verstappen finished second with one of his best drives of the season so far.
Isack Hadjar: A+
After three weeks away due to a wrist-injury, Isack Hadjar returned to his seat in style with a second-row start for the Grand Prix. Lining up in fourth for his best qualifying at Red Bull so far this season, Hadjar consistently matched or beat his teammate’s pace for a lot of his opening stint.
After his swap onto the medium tyres, Hadjar’s pace slowed however the significant gap behind to fourth place meant that his podium was secure. In the end, the French driver crossed the line in third to celebrate his second podium with his new team and his contract extension which was announced earlier that week.
Haas
Ollie Bearman: A+
For one of his best starts of the season, Ollie Bearman lined up in 10th with significantly better race pace in Saturday’s Grand Prix. Things were relatively quiet and calm in the British driver’s first stint and although he lost position on the first restart, he managed to stay out of the action and in the race.
Although he was also passed by a Racing Bulls driver, Bearman’s ninth-place finish was an excellent change in fortunes for the driver who hadn’t scored since Canada.
Esteban Ocon: A+
The French driver started the race in 13th and after a relatively quiet first stint, Esteban Ocon found himself in the midst of action and in contention for points. On the final lap of the race, he was passed by the same Racing Bulls car as his teammate which dropped him down the order but kept him in the top 10.
After an excellent defensive drive, keeping the other midfield drivers behind at bay, Ocon crossed the line in eighth.
Racing Bulls
Arvid Lindblad: A-
For one of the team’s trickier races so far this season, Arvid Lindblad lined up outside the top 10 in 15th. Despite seeming set for a points-less finish, it was the timing of the Safety Car which brought Lindblad back into the mix. However, the restart also saw the British driver collide with his teammate.
Lindblad emerged unscathed from the incident however the same could not be said of his teammate. In the second part of his race, Lindblad made key passes including the moves on Bearman and Ocon as he went on to finish in seventh.
Liam Lawson: B+
With both cars starting outside the top 10, with Liam Lawson lining up in 11th, points seemed unlikely for Racing Bulls when the five lights went out. Compared to the rest of the midfield, Lawson did not have the pure pace to battle it out and make his way up the order which made the first part of his race difficult to manage.
Lawson’s race was undone when, on the first restart, he tangled with his teammate which spun him around on the race-track. Although he was able to recover his car and managed to continue in the race, damage meant he couldn’t continue in his battle for points. In the end, the driver from New Zealand crossed the line in 12th.
Audi
Gabriel Bortoleto: B-
The Brazilian driver started the race in 17th and it soon became clear that Audi did not have the pace to compete with the midfield or front-runners. After a string of successful results in the lead-up to the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Gabriel Bortoleto experienced a relatively lonely race to the line.
The key part of Bortolerto’s race took place after the chequered flag was waved when he was given a post-race time penalty for overtaking under yellow flag conditions. As a result of the penalty, the final race classification saw the Brazilian in 15th.
Nico Hülkenberg: B
On the other side of the Audi garage, Nico Hülkenberg started the race in 18th. For the German driver, the Audi pit-wall tried something alternative and skipped pitting him under Safety Car conditions. Instead, they chose to wait for a red flag instead which is often a common occurrence around this circuit. Eventually, they were forced to bring Hülkenberg in for his stop during normal race conditions.
Given his on-track position, Hülkenberg benefitted from the retirements ahead which saw him running in 10th. Despite running in the points, he was unable to defend the position against the Williams behind. For the third time this season, the German crossed the line on the fringes of the points in 11th.
Alpine
Pierre Gasly: B-
For Pierre Gasly, a seventh place start was an excellent position to be in and the team seemed set for an excellent result as the French driver retained his position in the opening laps. In the context of the Constructors’ Championship, they looked set to recover the ground they lost in the midfield battle to Racing Bulls.
However, all this good work was undone on the first restart where Gasly was taken out by his teammate. Sandwiched in-between his teammate and Norris’ McLaren, Gasly’s Alpine sustained significant damage leading to a retirement.
Franco Colapinto: C
Also starting in the top 10, Colapinto lined up in ninth and like his teammate, he showed excellent pace and seemed set to add to his points tally for the season so far. However, a costly mistake on the restart threw his own race, as well as the race plan for Gasly and Norris, off-kilter when all three drivers were forced to retire from the race.
During the race, it was announced that Colapinto was given a 10-second time penalty. However, as the penalty was not served during the race, it will be carried over into the next race weekend as a five-place grid penalty.
Williams
Carlos Sainz: A
With the application of his penalty, Carlos Sainz lined up in 14th for the Grand Prix however he did achieve Williams’ first Q3 appearance in 2026. Although he did not benefit from the timing of the Safety Car, having already completed his pit-stop, the Spanish driver showed considerable pace in the B-Spec car introduced this weekend.
For his fourth points finish of 2026, Sainz crossed the line in 10th.
Alex Albon: B
Although slower than his teammate in qualifying, Alex Albon started ahead of Sainz in 12th for Saturday’s Grand Prix. During his opening stint, Albon also demonstrated considerable pace proving that Williams’ new technical approach is a success.
However, on Lap 31, Albon’s weekend came to an abrupt end. Having run wide, paired with a heavy gust of wind, Albon was pushed into the barriers. The positive to take away was that, in his own words, the significant upgrade package has been enough to put Williams “in a midfield fight”.
Cadillac
Sergio Pérez: B+
Although Sergio Pérez started the Grand Prix in 20th, there can be no doubt that this was one of his best weekends with his new team. As an expert on street circuits, Pérez put all his experience to good use as he was involved with a number of battles in the opening stint of his race.
However, the clear issue was the lack of straight-line speed which meant Pérez soon lost touch with the cars that he had been battling in the first stint and was unable to push his way forward after a certain point. In the end, he was the sole finisher for Cadillac and ended the race in 15th.
Valtteri Bottas: C-
Starting ahead of his teammate in 19th, the Finnish driver was not able to stay ahead of Pérez and soon found himself with only the Aston Martins for company at the back of the grid. After a relatively quiet race, Valtteri Bottas made an uncharacteristic mistake and crashed out of the race on the penultimate lap.
Aston Martin
Fernando Alonso: C-
In usual fashion, Fernando Alonso started the Azerbaijan Grand Prix towards the back of the grid in 21st. The opening part of the race for the Spanish driver was dominated by his battle with Bottas however this tussle between the two teams did not last very long.
Soon, the sheer pace deficit between Aston Martin and the rest of the grid proved to be a cause for concern due to the significant amount of time being lost on the long straights. Having informed his pit-wall of his frustration on the track, the two-time former world champion chose to return to the pits and retire the car on Lap 21.
Lance Stroll: C-
On the other side of the Aston Martin garage, the Canadian driver was set to start at the back of the grid in 22nd. Dealing with the same lack of pace as his teammate, Stroll experienced yet another mechanical issue as he was informed of a suspected water pump issue by the pit-wall. On Lap 7, Stroll was told to park up on the side of the track to retire the car.
Looking Ahead
For the next race in this triple header, F1 will be returning to Malaysia for the first time since 2017 for the Bahrain Grand Prix. With many of the current drivers not even on the grid the last time that F1 visited the Sepang International Circuit, there’s no telling who will come out on top.
Edited by Meghana Sree
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