Russell Wins Baku by a Tenth as Antonelli Salvages Fifth From Sixteenth
George Russell did everything a man chasing a runaway team-mate has to do in Baku: pole by more than eight tenths, the lead when it mattered, and just enough left at the end to hold off Max Verstappen by one tenth of a second at the line. Isack Hadjar made it two Red Bulls on the podium. It is Russell's third win of the season and it takes him to 236 points.
The weekend's real plot twist came on Friday, when Kimi Antonelli hit the wall at Turn 1 in qualifying, broke his Mercedes' suspension and started 16th. Around him, the race obliged with chaos: an Alex Albon error brought out the first Safety Car, a Franco Colapinto lock-up brought out the second and took Pierre Gasly and Lando Norris with it. Oscar Piastri led a large chunk of the afternoon, locked up late and fell to 14th. Antonelli kept his nose clean and came home fifth, behind Charles Leclerc.
The arithmetic, then: Antonelli 302, Russell 236. A 66-point gap with eight rounds and 200 points still on the table is a big lead that is no longer a closed case — and next weekend F1 goes to Sepang, where nobody on the grid has raced a current car and the Bahrain Grand Prix is being held in Malaysia.
Saudi Arabia Is Off. The World Rally Title Will Be Settled in Sardinia Next Week.
The WRC calendar lost its finale last week when the FIA called off the championship element of Rally Saudi Arabia, citing the continuing regional situation and manufacturer travel restrictions. That turns Rally Italia Sardegna (1-4 October) into a title decider nobody planned: Elfyn Evans on 230, Sami Pajari on 213, Oliver Solberg on 209, with 35 points available to anyone who wins the rally, Super Sunday and the Power Stage.
Evans needs 19 points and it is done, whatever happens behind him; a win settles it outright. Pajari has to outscore him by 18, and holds the tiebreak on wins, three to two. Solberg, fresh from Chile, needs a perfect weekend and an Evans who scores fewer than 15. Welsh favourite, Finnish threat, Swedish long shot, gravel in Alghero.
Around the Paddock
Acosta crashes from the sprint lead, then wins his first Grand Prix
Pedro Acosta binned a 2.8-second lead three laps from the end on Saturday and made amends on Sunday with a maiden MotoGP win for KTM. Jorge Martín won the sprint and was second in the Grand Prix, and is back on top of the table by 12.
Logano's 40th win, and a pit-road fight that got the headlines
Joey Logano passed Ty Gibbs with six laps to go to equal Mark Martin's career win total. Behind him, Carson Hocevar wrecked Ryan Blaney while battling for second and the pair swapped punches on pit road. Kyle Larson leads the Chase by one point from Denny Hamlin heading to Kansas.
Rain washes out qualifying and hands Alpine a front-row lockout
Heavy rain and a Turn 2 aquaplaning crash ended qualifying before a time was set, so the grid came from practice. Victor Martins' FP2 lap puts the No. 36 Alpine on pole with the No. 35 alongside. The six hours start at 11:00 local on Sunday.
Sepang: first F1 race in Malaysia since 2017, on a normal weekend format
The relocated Bahrain Grand Prix runs 2-4 October: qualifying at 16:00 local on Saturday, the race at 15:00 on Sunday (07:00 UTC). No sprint — that waits for Singapore a week later.
Red Bull's best afternoon in months: second and third
Verstappen's near-miss and Hadjar's podium were worth 33 points and pushed Red Bull to 263 in the constructors' table. Mercedes lead on 538, Ferrari have 378, and McLaren left Azerbaijan with none.
Hauger to Foyt, and Ganassi's post-Dixon line-up takes shape
Dennis Hauger is confirmed at A.J. Foyt Racing for 2027. RACER reports Christian Lundgaard as the expected replacement for Scott Dixon at Ganassi alongside Palou and Kyffin Simpson — not yet announced.