BREAKING: F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Final Results Confirmed as FIA Penalties Finally Applied After Baku Chao

The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix has now been officially settled, with the FIA confirming the final classification after post-race investigations and penalties brought the chaotic Baku weekend to a close.

George Russell retained victory for Mercedes after surviving a dramatic late challenge from Max Verstappen, while Red Bull secured a double podium with Isack Hadjar finishing third. However, the final classification was not simply a matter of where the drivers crossed the finish line, with FIA decisions following the race adding an important twist to the official results.

Russell Holds On as Verstappen Falls Just Short

Russell delivered one of the most important victories of his 2026 campaign, converting pole position into his third win of the season.

The Mercedes driver controlled the race for long periods but faced intense pressure from Verstappen during the closing stages. The Red Bull driver remained within striking distance on the final lap, but Russell held firm to take the chequered flag just 0.196 seconds ahead.

Verstappen therefore had to settle for second, while Hadjar completed the podium for Red Bull.

The result also marked a major recovery for Kimi Antonelli, who climbed from 16th on the grid to finish fifth, immediately behind Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in fourth. Lewis Hamilton completed the top six for Ferrari.

Final Classification Confirmed After FIA Decisions

The FIA’s final race classification confirmed the leading order while also incorporating the penalties issued during and after the race.

The top six remained:

1. George Russell – Mercedes
2. Max Verstappen – Red Bull
3. Isack Hadjar – Red Bull
4. Charles Leclerc – Ferrari
5. Kimi Antonelli – Mercedes
6. Lewis Hamilton – Ferrari

Arvid Lindblad finished seventh, followed by Esteban Ocon and Oliver Bearman, with Carlos Sainz completing the points-paying positions in tenth.

Behind them came Nico Hulkenberg, Liam Lawson, Oscar Piastri, Sergio Perez and Gabriel Bortoleto.

Penalties Change the Official Picture

One of the most significant post-race decisions involved Bortoleto.

The Audi driver was handed a 10-second time penalty for overtaking under yellow flags following an incident around the first Safety Car restart. The stewards determined that yellow flags and Safety Car boards were being displayed in the relevant area after the collision involving several cars.

The penalty was applied to his race result, meaning his final classified position reflected the additional time.

The FIA also completed investigations involving practice-start procedures. Those investigations did not result in a change to the podium order, with the final classification remaining intact after the stewards’ decisions.

Six Drivers Fail to Finish

The Baku race was also defined by an unusually high number of retirements.

Valtteri Bottas was classified 16th after completing 49 laps, while Franco Colapinto, Pierre Gasly, Lando Norris, Alexander Albon, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll all failed to reach the chequered flag.

The biggest incident came after the first Safety Car restart when Colapinto collided with Gasly, with Norris also caught up in the incident. The crash brought another Safety Car period and dramatically altered the race.

Colapinto was subsequently given a five-place grid penalty for the next race after the stewards ruled that he was predominantly responsible for the collision. Because he had retired in Baku, the normal 10-second penalty was converted into a grid-place drop.

Baku Leaves Plenty to Talk About

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix therefore ends with Russell officially confirmed as the winner, Verstappen second and Hadjar third, while Ferrari secured fourth and sixth through Leclerc and Hamilton.

But the final results also underline how quickly the picture can change after the chequered flag.

From yellow-flag infringements and Safety Car confusion to collisions and post-race investigations, Baku once again demonstrated why an F1 race is not always completely settled when the cars cross the finish line.

The FIA’s final classification has now closed the Azerbaijan Grand Prix officially, leaving the championship to move forward with the results and penalties applied.

And after one of the most unpredictable races of the season, the attention now turns to the next round—with several drivers carrying fresh consequences from the chaos in Baku.