George Russell reveals failure nearly cost him Azerbaijan Grand Prix win

George Russell revealed a late battery issue almost scuppered his hopes of Azerbaijan Grand Prix victory.

The Mercedes driver held a fast-approaching Max Verstappen at bay by just 0.196s at the line, taking his first win in seven races to close the points gap to teammate and championship leader, Kimi Antonelli.

George Russell reveals late turbo failure in Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Russell had held a significant advantage in the race before two late Safety Cars brought the field closer together, with Verstappen having worked his way up into second place for the final 10 laps.

While the Briton had managed to hold the Red Bull driver at the one-second mark, the four-time World Champion closed in significantly on the final push to the line.

A late yellow flag was thrown after Valtteri Bottas’ Cadillac was strewn in the barrier at Turn 15 and, with the 2026-era power units utilising multiple areas to make up its power, Russell revealed he did not receive power from his turbo heading up to the chequered flag.

The finish line came just in time, as he celebrated a victory that was also his first Grand Chelem in Formula 1 – starting from pole, winning the race, leading every lap and setting the fastest lap.

“The first half of the race felt pretty plain-sailing, getting the gap,” Russell explained.

“The Safety Car restart with Max behind, I thought ‘this is not going to be easy’, and he drove incredibly at the end of the race.

“When the yellow flag came out, I lifted off the power and when I went back I had no turbo, so then I had no power and Max almost got me at the line.

“That would have been a real shame but, all in all, an incredible weekend.”

More from the aftermath of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lando Norris demands one-race ban for Franco Colapinto after Baku crash

Liam Lawson confused as FIA investigation clears Lindblad over Baku F1 collision

Azerbaijan ended a run of five consecutive races with Antonelli having finished ahead within the Mercedes stable, as the young Italian rose from 16th on the grid to finish fifth at the line.

While still a sizeable 66 points behind means the Briton is not talking about the title, through an improvement in his own form, Russell feels capable of mounting challenges for further victories.

“I never lost that faith in myself, even through the tough moments,” he said.

“I knew there was a reason why I was off the pace. It wasn’t like I just suddenly forgot how to drive, and I knew I’d be able to find it again, I just had to be patient – so I feel confident.

“It’s been four races since the [summer] break, I’ve been on the front row in three of them. Three podiums from the four races, I feel I can fight for victory week in, week out now.”

Additional reporting by Thomas Maher

Want to be the first to know exclusive information from the F1 paddock? Join our broadcast channel on WhatsApp to get the scoop on the latest developments from our team of accredited journalists.

You can also subscribe to the PlanetF1 YouTube channel for exclusive features, hear from our paddock journalists with stories from the heart of Formula 1 and much more!

Read next: Russell wins lights-to-flag in Baku as Verstappen charges and McLaren suffers double disaster