Round 15 · 26 Sep 2026

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

2026-09-26_Race · 51 laps · 22 entries · from the f1 database

Executive summary

George Russell (Mercedes) won from pole by 0.196 s over Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing), with Isack Hadjar third— sealing it with the fastest lap (1:44.916 on L49, on used softs).

The start-compound split: 10 drivers on softs, 12 drivers on mediums. The race was shaped by a lap-31 safety car, a lap-36 safety car and 2 yellow-flag periods, with ≈8 laps run under caution.

RUS led every lap of the race. 7 DNFs: BOT (lap 49, stopped on track), COL (lap 36, DNF in the pits), GAS (lap 35, DNF in the pits — brought out the safety car), NOR (lap 35, stopped on track — brought out the safety car), ALB (lap 29, stopped on track — brought out the safety car), ALO (lap 20, DNF in the pits), STR (lap 7, DNF in the pits). ANT leads the championship on 302 points, 66 clear with 208 points still available in 8 rounds.

Official race poster for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 2026

Key facts

Winner

RUS

+0.196 s

Fastest lap

RUS

1:44.916 L49

Lead changes

1 stints in front

Cautions

2 SC · 0 VSC

red flag ×0

DNFs

BOT, COL, GAS, NOR, ALB, ALO, STR

Championship

ANT

leads by 66 pts

Session timeline

Local	Lap	Event
14:06	1	2 Yellow flag
14:11	1	2 Yellow flag
14:13	1	2 Yellow flag
14:20	1	GREEN LIGHT - PIT EXIT OPEN
14:30	1	PIT EXIT CLOSED
14:45	1	RISK OF RAIN FOR THE F1 RACE IS 0%
14:49	1	2 Yellow flag
15:03	1	RACE START
15:18	9	2 Yellow flag
15:56	30	2 Yellow flag
15:57	31	2 Yellow flag
15:58	31	4 Safety car deployed
16:06	34	LAPPED CARS MAY NOW OVERTAKE THE SAFETY CAR: 77
16:09	35	SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP
16:11	36	2 Yellow flag
16:12	36	4 Safety car deployed
16:17	38	SAFETY CAR IN THIS LAP
16:21	40	2 Yellow flag
16:39	50	2 Yellow flag
16:40	51	2 Yellow flag
16:41	51	CHEQUERED FLAG

Merged from TrackStatus transitions and race control messages · times local (UTC+4) · lap attribution from the winner's lap completions

Lap-time progression

Click legend entries to isolate drivers · scroll/zoom inside the chart · every lap is drawn · y-axis spans fastest lap → fastest +30%, slower laps clip at the top

Race progress

Grid position (lap 0) → final standing · P1 at the top · a driver's line stops where they went out (DNF) · click legend entries to isolate drivers

Tyre strategies & pit stops

Fastest stationary stops

#	Driver	Lap	Stop	Lane	via
1	RUS	31	2.3 s	20.7 s	stop feed
2	BOR	30	2.4 s	20.4 s	series
3	COL	30	2.4 s	20.7 s	series
4	SAI	20	2.5 s	20.7 s	stop feed
5	PIA	31	2.5 s	20.5 s	series
6	HUL	32	2.5 s	20.1 s	stop feed
7	GAS	30	2.6 s	20.7 s	stop feed
8	ANT	30	2.6 s	20.8 s	series

Median stationary stop 3.3 s over 18 timed stops in the feeds. The three pit feeds overlap and miss a few cars — stop counts in the classification table are from live timing and authoritative; timings here are best-effort merges.

0 drivers started on intermediates; the biggest pit wave came on lap 36 (16 cars) — the simultaneous compound switch is visible across the field.

Corner analysis

Average speed by position around the lap — RUS vs ANT, laps 3–12 (shared clean window), car positions normalised per lap from the start/finish line; C-labels are auto-detected apexes.

RUS is quicker through 83 of 120 track segments vs ANT (33 to ANT); biggest edges: RUS +41 km/h at 3% distance, ANT +27 km/h at 0%.

Penalties & steward decisions

Lap	Car	Decision / message
1	6 HAD	INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 6 (HAD) NOTED - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS – PRACTICE START INFRINGEMENT (14:20:31)
1	6 HAD	FIA STEWARDS: INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 6 (HAD) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE RACE - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS – PRACTICE START INFRINGEMENT (14:20:31)
1	55 SAI	INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 55 (SAI) NOTED - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS – PRACTICE START INFRINGEMENT (14:22:31)
1	55 SAI	FIA STEWARDS: INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 55 (SAI) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE RACE - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS – PRACTICE START INFRINGEMENT (14:22:31)
31	1 NOR	CAR 1 (NOR) LAP DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 1 LAP 30 15:56:33 (PIT)
38	1 NOR+10 GAS+43 COL	TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 1 (NOR), 10 (GAS) AND 43 (COL) NOTED
40	41 LIN+30 LAW	TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 41 (LIN) AND 30 (LAW) NOTED
41	5 BOR	TURN 7 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 5 (BOR) NOTED - YELLOW FLAG INFRINGEMENT
41	41 LIN+30 LAW	FIA STEWARDS: TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 41 (LIN) AND 30 (LAW) UNDER INVESTIGATION (16:11:33)
41	1 NOR+10 GAS+43 COL	UPDATE: TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 1 (NOR), 10 (GAS) AND 43 (COL) NOTED - CAUSING A COLLISION (16:11:31)
42	1 NOR+10 GAS+43 COL	FIA STEWARDS: TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 1 (NOR), 10 (GAS) AND 43 (COL) UNDER INVESTIGATION - CAUSING A COLLISION (16:11:31)
42	81 PIA	CAR 81 (PIA) TIME 1:58.595 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 1 LAP 40 16:20:55
42	30 LAW	CAR 30 (LAW) LAP DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 1 LAP 36 16:11:35 (PIT)
42	43 COL	CAR 43 (COL) LAP DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 36 16:14:30 (PIT)
42	5 BOR	CAR 5 (BOR) LAP DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 1 LAP 36 16:11:35 (PIT)
44	41 LIN+30 LAW	FIA STEWARDS: TURN 1 INCIDENT INVOLVING CARS 41 (LIN) AND 30 (LAW) NO FURTHER ACTION
45	3 VER	INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 3 (VER) NOTED - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS (16:18:20)
48	5 BOR	FIA STEWARDS: TURN 7 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 5 (BOR) UNDER INVESTIGATION - YELLOW FLAG INFRINGEMENT (16:12:10)
49	3 VER	FIA STEWARDS: INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 3 (VER) REVIEWED NO FURTHER INVESTIGATION - FAILING TO FOLLOW RACE DIRECTORS INSTRUCTIONS (16:18:20)
51	5 BOR	FIA STEWARDS: TURN 7 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 5 (BOR) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE RACE - YELLOW FLAG INFRINGEMENT (16:12:10)
51	5 BOR	CAR 5 (BOR) TIME 1:48.000 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 16 LAP 41 16:24:13
51	41 LIN	CAR 41 (LIN) TIME 1:48.323 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:53
51	27 HUL	CAR 27 (HUL) TIME 1:48.265 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:54
51	55 SAI	CAR 55 (SAI) TIME 1:48.369 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:54
51	5 BOR	CAR 5 (BOR) TIME 1:47.605 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:56
51	30 LAW	CAR 30 (LAW) TIME 1:47.872 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:56
51	81 PIA	CAR 81 (PIA) TIME 1:49.030 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:57
51	11 PER	CAR 11 (PER) TIME 1:48.666 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:42:02
51	31 OCO	CAR 31 (OCO) TIME 1:48.925 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:51
51	87 BEA	CAR 87 (BEA) TIME 1:48.360 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:53
51	44 HAM	CAR 44 (HAM) TIME 1:49.739 DELETED - TRACK LIMITS AT TURN 15 LAP 51 16:41:43
51	77 BOT	TURN 15 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 77 (BOT) NOTED (16:42:31)
51	43 COL	PenaltyFIA STEWARDS: 10 SECOND TIME PENALTY FOR CAR 43 (COL) - CAUSING A COLLISION (16:11:31)
51	77 BOT	FIA STEWARDS: TURN 15 INCIDENT INVOLVING CAR 77 (BOT) WILL BE INVESTIGATED AFTER THE RACE (16:42:31)

Championship state

ANT leads the championship on 302 points, 66 clear with 208 points still available in 8 rounds.

Drivers

Pos	Driver	Team	Points	This race	Model
1	ANT	Mercedes	302	+10	302
2	RUS	Mercedes	236	+25	236
3	HAM	Ferrari	199	+8	199
4	NOR	McLaren	186	+0	186
5	LEC	Ferrari	179	+12	179
6	VER	Red Bull Racing	163	+18	163
7	PIA	McLaren	120	+0	120
8	HAD	Red Bull Racing	86	+15	86
9	LAW	Racing Bulls	59	+0	59
10	GAS	Alpine	41	+0	41
11	LIN	Racing Bulls	37	+6	37
12	COL	Alpine	27	+0	27
13	BEA	Haas F1 Team	20	+2	20
14	BOR	Audi	10	+0	10
15	HUL	Audi	7	+0	7
16	OCO	Haas F1 Team	7	+4	7
17	SAI	Williams	7	+1	7
18	ALB	Williams	5	+0	5
19	ALO	Aston Martin	3	+0	3
21	STR	Aston Martin	0	+0	0
22	BOT	Cadillac	0	+0	0
23	PER	Cadillac	0	+0	0

Constructors

Pos	Team	Drivers	Points	This race	Model
1	Mercedes	ANT · RUS	538	+35	538
2	Ferrari	HAM · LEC	378	+20	378
3	McLaren	NOR · PIA	306	+0	306
4	Red Bull Racing	HAD · VER	263	+33	263
5	Racing Bulls	LAW · LIN	83	+6	83
6	Alpine	COL · GAS	68	+0	68
7	Haas F1 Team	BEA · OCO	27	+6	27
8	Audi	BOR · HUL	17	+0	17
9	Williams	ALB · SAI	12	+1	12
10	Aston Martin	ALO · STR	3	+0	3
11	Cadillac	BOT · PER	0	+0	0

Standings snapshots at this round from the feed (constructors = driver points summed per team they scored them for) · Model = live projection's final predicted points

Weather conditions

Classification

Pos	Driver	Team	Grid	Gap	Stops	Best lap	Tyre	Pts
1	RUS	Mercedes	1	—	2	1:44.916 L49	SSoft	25
2	VER	Red Bull Racing	8	+0.196	2	1:44.993 L48	SSoft	18
3	HAD	Red Bull Racing	4	+10.704	2	1:45.618 L49	MMedium	15
4	LEC	Ferrari	2	+14.136	2	1:45.784 L44	MMedium	12
5	ANT	Mercedes	16	+14.512	2	1:45.413 L50	SSoft	10
6	HAM	Ferrari	6	+22.382	2	1:46.170 L49	MMedium	8
7	LIN	Racing Bulls	15	+31.159	2	1:46.849 L44	SSoft	6
8	OCO	Haas F1 Team	13	+31.189	2	1:47.068 L44	MMedium	4
9	BEA	Haas F1 Team	10	+31.929	2	1:46.978 L45	MMedium	2
10	SAI	Williams	14	+32.416	3	1:46.737 L49	SSoft	1
11	HUL	Audi	18	+33.231	2	1:46.850 L45	SSoft	0
12	LAW	Racing Bulls	11	+34.013	2	1:46.906 L46	SSoft	0
13	BOR	Audi	17	+34.230	2	1:46.336 L46	SSoft	0
14	PIA	McLaren	3	+36.401	2	1:46.602 L48	MMedium	0
15	PER	Cadillac	20	+41.400	2	1:47.363 L43	SSoft	0
DNF	BOT	Cadillac	19	2L	2	1:48.852 L49	SSoft	0
DNF	COL	Alpine	9	15L	2	1:48.484 L17	SSoft	0
DNF	GAS	Alpine	7	16L	1	1:47.822 L28	SSoft	0
DNF	NOR	McLaren	5	16L	1	1:47.761 L28	SSoft	0
DNF	ALB	Williams	12	22L	-	1:48.443 L29	SSoft	0
DNF	ALO	Aston Martin	21	31L	1	1:50.968 L15	SSoft	0
DNF	STR	Aston Martin	22	44L	-	1:51.723 L7	SSoft	0