Is Russell really back after Baku brilliance?

George Russell: Is Mercedes driver really back after 'Grand Slam' Azerbaijan GP win cut Kimi Antonelli's F1 title lead? George Russell drove superbly to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix; Russell reduced his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli's championship lead to 66 points; watch Formula 1's return to Malaysia from Friday live on Sky Sports F1 as Sepang hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix Saturday 26 September 2026 17:54, UK George Russell produced the most statistically complete weekend of his Formula 1 career to win the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, but did the performance confirm the Brit is back to his best? Russell drove superbly in Baku to claim the first Grand Slam of his career, taking pole position, leading from lights-to-flag on his way to victory, and setting the fastest lap of the race. The result saw Russell reduce his Mercedes team-mate Kimi Antonelli's lead at the top of the world championship to 66 points with eight rounds remaining, ensuring some intrigue remains as the season enters its closing stretch. - Azerbaijan GP race report | F1 2026 standings | F1 2026 calendar - Download the Sky Sports app for expert analysis, best video & more📱 - Not got Sky? Latest Sky Sports deals or stream F1 with no contract 📺 Regardless of whether Russell is able to mount a challenge over the remainder of the season, the gulf between him and Antonelli in recent months had begun to create doubts over the 28-year-old's prospects of ever winning a championship while driving alongside the Italian. There were extenuating circumstances for Antonelli in Baku as he missed a significant chunk of practice with technical issues before crashing out of qualifying to leave himself 16th on the grid, but this was the first time since the opening weekend of the season that Russell had so clearly outperformed him. Russell has been open in recent months about his difficulty understanding his deficit to Antonelli, which he has largely attributed to the different challenges posed by F1's new cars for 2026, but feels his Baku display was confirmation that a corner has been turned. Russell said: "I think it's probably my first Grand Slam in Formula 1 and, for sure, the most dominant weekend I've had in my career, so that has come at a really great moment. "And also to achieve it on a circuit that requires so much commitment and confidence, I'm really proud of because I think it would have been very easy for me to lose the faith this season. Not necessarily about winning the championship, but in terms of my ability, and that never happened. "I'm very proud of the resilience that I and my close group of engineers have shown during the tough periods this year because there's been a lot of hard work to overcome some of the challenges, to adapt my driving style to suit this new car better. "And F1 is so tough, you don't get opportunities to practice this, and finally it's coming to me a bit more intuitively than it once did, and I'm gaining confidence." 'He definitely stepped up' Russell's victory was made all the more impressive by the fact he had to fend off Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the closing stages having had a big lead taken away by two Safety Car interruptions. A thrilling race to the chequered flag saw Russell end up just a tenth of a second clear of Verstappen, creating the smallest margin of victory in an F1 race since 2002. Three-time W Series champion and Sky Sports F1 pundit Jamie Chadwick believes the performance was confirmation that Russell has raised his level. "He's definitely stepped up," Chadwick said. "It's a big points gap but I think the championship is still something to be excited about, which for a lot of us coming into this weekend maybe we didn't expect. So that's something to look forward to now." Sky Sports F1's Karun Chandhok was particularly impressed by the way Russell fended off four-time world champion Verstappen in the closing stages. "That last stint from George, he had Verstappen piling the pressure on," Chandhok said. "In some ways that's more satisfying for George. "It's one thing disappearing off, 10 seconds in the lead and driving by yourself. But winning under pressure will give him more satisfaction." Can Russell keep it up? If Russell really has returned to form, it was good time to do so, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix having been the first of six races in seven weeks. The Bahrain Grand Prix, taking place in Malaysia, follows next weekend, with the Singapore Grand Prix completing a triple-header. Then come back-to-back races in the United States, Mexico and Brazil. The fact Russell needs to take a grid penalty before the end of the season for changing engine stiffens his task, but just proving that he can match Antonelli for pace over the remainder of the year would be a huge psychological boost going into 2027. Having rarely spoken with any great confidence in recent months, Russell's view on how he sees the battle between himself and Antonelli going forward suggests he has his mojo back. "There's much less pressure on me than there is him," Russell said. "He's had an incredibly flawless season. Yesterday was probably his first mistake of this whole season in a proper session, qualifying, race, and he still came home in P5 today. "I didn't really consider myself in this fight for a number of races, purely because my performance wasn't strong enough. "Now I feel like if the season were to have started today, or since the summer break, I feel very much I would have been able to fight. "Now I've got this big deficit. It can change quickly. So, I'm not chasing that. I'm chasing to win every race, and what will be, will be." Formula 1 heads to Malaysia for the first time since 2017 as it hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit - watch live coverage from Friday morning, live on Sky Sports F1. Stream Sky Sports with NOW - no contract, cancel anytime [Image text:] TARAIRYAYS D AMDL Ata Al nU RA INEOS US Signfy ROWDSIKE HP: ) Snapagon PETRON MMic