Azerbaijan Grand Prix results: George Russell takes commanding victory in Baku - as it happened

Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

George Russell cut his lead to Kimi Antonelli in the drivers' championship after he cruised to victory at Azerbaijan Grand Prix, and you can relive all the race updates on ESPN.

The Mercedes driver converted pole position into a race win after holding off Red Bull's Max Verstappen in the closing stages.

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Russell was looking to capatalise on his teammate and championship leader Kimi Antonelli hitting the wall in the opening session of qualifying. The Italian youngster started down in P16.

Oscar Piastri started on the second row in third in his heavily-upgraded McLaren.

Isack Hadjar followed behind in the Red Bull and impressing after returning from a wrist injury that saw him miss the last three races.

McLaren's Lando Norris rounded out the top five before stopping in the closing stages.

"It's been a while, so it definitely feels good," Russell said of his first pole position since the Austrian Grand Prix in June. "It's probably the biggest margin in my whole career, even including F2, F3 days.

"So the lap felt really sweet, the car's been feeling great this weekend. And on a track like this, when you can hug it up like that, it feels really amazing."

He added: "I think the performance outside today was great, but, you know, he [Antonelli] has been flawless this whole season," Russell said. "I think when you look at every championship campaign, even for the winners, there are mistakes along the way. So, yeah, I still keep on believing and keep on fighting until it isn't possible anymore."