George Russell held off a threatening Max Verstappen in the closing stages to take a dominant victory at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Mercedes driver did not put a foot wrong around the streets of Baku and crossed the line 0.196 seconds quicker than the Dutchman who was hunting him down in his upgraded Red Bull. Verstappen's teammate Isack Hadjar took the final spot on the podium.

Charles Leclerc in the Ferrari crossed the line in fourth, while Mercedes' title leader Kimi Antonelli made up 11 places during the race to finish fifth. Russell trims Antonelli's title lead to 66 points with 208 still to play for across the scheduled remaining eight rounds. Russell began the year as the championship favorite, but he has struggled to get on top of a Mercedes which has played more to Antonelli's style behind the wheel.

However, the Englishman's dominant performance at this street venue on the Caspian Sea will provide him with renewed belief that all is not lost in his pursuit of a first world crown. Russell mastered the initial start, two safety car getaways, and Verstappen ominously swamping his mirrors for the concluding 13 laps. A yellow flag at the last meaningful corner following Valtteri Bottas' crash, allowed Verstappen to latch onto the back of Russell's Silver Arrows.

Russell dragged Verstappen all the way to the line and finished only 0.1 seconds clear in one of the closest finishes in recent Formula 1 memory.