Right from the start and in the opening meters, Russell remained in the lead, and Piastri took second place from Leclerc, while Verstappen managed to gain three positions early on, moving up to fifth as early as the third lap. Meanwhile, the other Red Bull also got off to an impressive start, with Hajar moving up to 3rd before yielding his position to his teammate.

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04.10.2026 13:43

Max is back in Malaysia – First win of the year for Verstappen

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Major delay at the Bahrain Grand Prix due to rain

Watch the race start #F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/Fo9KwcTnnH

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— Formula 1 (@F1) September 26, 2026

Russell continued to extend his lead over his pursuers, while Antonelli remained outside the top ten and Verstappen put increasing pressure on second-place Piastri. The Australian held off the Dutchman’s pressure, and Antonelli managed to break into the top ten on lap 16, while shortly afterward, Albon crashed into the barriers but fortunately emerged from his car unharmed, with the safety car making its appearance on lap 31.

Absolute chaos at the restart #F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/o4Q5MdHLnc

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 26, 2026

As the safety car pulled away, Verstappen passed Piastri to move up to 2nd place, while further back—following a mistake by Kolapido— there was a five-car pileup, with the Alpine driver, Gasly, and Norris all forced out of the race. Meanwhile, Adeonelli moved up to 7th place, continuing to gain ground steadily. On lap 40, Piastri locked up his brakes in the first turn, temporarily losing control of his car and dropping from 3rd to 15th place, while Antonelli also passed Hamilton to move up to 5th.

Here’s Oscar’s agonizing moment at Turn 1 #F1 #AzerbaijanGP pic.twitter.com/qZVqxb1pA9

— Formula 1 (@F1) September 26, 2026

Verstappen put intense pressure on Russell in the final laps and in the battle for first place, with the Mercedes driver holding on and ultimately finishing first by a margin of just one-tenth of a second ahead of the Dutchman, celebrating his third victory of the season!

*photo source: KYPE