That is how close racing can truly get on the brutal streets of Baku. Max Verstappen pushed his Red Bull right to the absolute limit, glancing the wall on the entry to Turn 16 several times in a desperate attempt to snatch victory, but ultimately fell short by just one tenth against George Russell at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Here is the thing: the weekend looked like a disaster waiting to happen for the Dutchman after troubles in Qualifying left him a frustrated eighth on the grid for Saturday's 51-lap race. Starting in P8, it was never going to be straightforward, but the four-time World Champion wasted no time getting to work on the medium tyre.
That first stint, however, was an absolute survival test. The medium compound simply lacked the grip of the soft tyres, forcing the Red Bull driver to merely hang on and stay within reach of the leaders. Thankfully, the Safety Car arrived at the exact right moment for everyone to dive into the pits for softs. Once bolted on, the machine transformed completely, running miles faster and letting both leaders pull away from the chasing pack.
Making his charge, Verstappen demoted Oscar Piastri's McLaren for second at the first of two Safety Car restarts. That set up a thrilling chase at the front, with Red Bull enjoying a clear straight-line speed advantage that kept him glued to the cusp of a one second gap down the main straight over the final laps.
Drama struck near the end when Valtteri Bottas crashed, bringing out a yellow flag at Turn 15 on the final tour. That twist caused George Russell to pick up a bit of boost lag and fail to pull away cleanly out of Turn 15, handing Verstappen one final, glorious slipstream on the run to the checkered flag. Sadly, it was not quite enough to secure what would have been his first victory of the 2026 season.
"I was trying everything that I have available," Verstappen explained after the race, reflecting on a wild chase that ended with a razor-thin margin at the finish line.
