Samwise F1 Newsletter
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Russell claims crushing Baku pole as championship leader Antonelli crashes out of Q1
George Russell claimed pole position for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with a dominant lap of 1:42.526, beating Charles Leclerc by 0.837 seconds. Oscar Piastri qualified third, with Isack Hadjar fourth on his return from injury, Lando Norris fifth, Lewis Hamilton sixth, Pierre Gasly seventh, and Max Verstappen eighth. Franco Colapinto rounded out the top 10 in a strong session for Alpine. Championship leader Kimi Antonelli struck the inside barrier at Turn 1 with seven minutes remaining in Q1, damaging his Mercedes and forcing him out of the session. The Italian called the mistake very stupid and very unnecessary but remained confident heading into the race, where he will start 16th.
Sources: formula1.com
Verstappen leads FP3 for first time this season as wind disrupts final Baku practice
Max Verstappen topped final practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, edging George Russell by 0.099 seconds and Lewis Hamilton by 0.111 seconds to lead a session for the first time in the 2026 season. The Red Bull driver's best lap of 1:43.922 came in the closing minutes, ending the early dominance Russell showed across Thursday's two practice sessions. Kimi Antonelli finished fourth, with Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly also among the top six. Strong wind gusts across the Baku City Circuit contributed to several drivers running wide, with the top eight covered by under one second and the competitive order far less settled than Thursday's pace suggested.
Sources: formula1.com
Hadjar returns to Red Bull after three-race wrist injury absence, qualifies fourth in Baku
Isack Hadjar made his racing comeback at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after missing three consecutive rounds with a fractured wrist sustained in a training accident during August. Liam Lawson substituted at Red Bull for all three rounds, while Yuki Tsunoda returned to Racing Bulls to cover Lawson's seat. Despite warning before the weekend that his wrist would still be painful inside the cockpit, Hadjar completed simulator sessions in preparation and qualified fourth in Baku. His return ends Lawson's temporary Red Bull stint, with the New Zealander resuming his Racing Bulls seat for the remainder of the season.
Sources: formula1.com
Hamilton given reprimand for Lawson near-miss in Baku practice; teams reject safety fix proposal
Lewis Hamilton was given a reprimand by FIA stewards for severely impeding Liam Lawson during Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice, as the cars converged at closing speeds of around 50 kilometres per hour through Baku's high-speed final sector. Lawson's car, running at full throttle on a timed lap, rapidly closed on Hamilton's slower Mercedes in the long flat run to the start-finish line. Hamilton proposed at the drivers' briefing that teams receive additional battery deployment through that section to reduce speed differentials on out-laps. Multiple teams rejected the idea, arguing a mid-weekend change would render data gathered in the first two practice sessions unusable.
Qatar and Abu Dhabi GPs face cancellation as F1 awaits mid-October security decision
Formula 1 teams have been told to expect a final decision on the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Grands Prix by mid-October, with both events under threat due to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. The two season-closing rounds, scheduled for November 29 and December 6 respectively, remain at risk following the earlier cancellation of the Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix in 2026. Formula 1 has confirmed it will move the final rounds to Europe if the security situation does not improve, with Imola and Portimao understood to be among the venues under consideration as potential replacements.
Azerbaijan Grand Prix held on Saturday as country honours Remembrance Day on Sunday
The 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place on Saturday, September 26, shifted one day earlier from the traditional Sunday slot after the Grand Prix promoter and Azerbaijani government stakeholders requested the change. Sunday, September 27 is Remembrance Day in Azerbaijan, when the country observes a national day of mourning for military personnel and civilians who died in the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War, also known as the Patriotic War. The schedule adjustment meant the entire race weekend moved forward by one day, with free practice on Thursday and qualifying and the race falling on Friday and Saturday respectively.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Round 14 of 24 — After the Spanish Grand Prix
Drivers Championship
| Pos | Driver | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | K. Antonelli | 292 |
| 2 | G. Russell | 211 |
| 3 | L. Hamilton | 191 |
| 4 | L. Norris | 186 |
| 5 | C. Leclerc | 167 |
| 6 | M. Verstappen | 145 |
| 7 | O. Piastri | 120 |
| 8 | I. Hadjar | 71 |
| 9 | L. Lawson | 59 |
| 10 | P. Gasly | 41 |
| 11 | A. Lindblad | 31 |
| 12 | F. Colapinto | 19 |
| 13 | O. Bearman | 18 |
| 14 | G. Bortoleto | 10 |
| 15 | C. Sainz | 6 |
| 16 | A. Albon | 5 |
| 17 | E. Ocon | 3 |
| 18 | N. Hülkenberg | 2 |
| 19 | F. Alonso | 1 |
| 20 | L. Stroll | 0 |
| — | Y. Tsunoda* | 0 |
*Tsunoda: substitute driver (Racing Bulls). P11–20 partial data.
Constructors Championship
| Pos | Constructor | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 503 |
| 2 | Ferrari | 358 |
| 3 | McLaren | 306 |
| 4 | Red Bull | 216 |
| 5 | Racing Bulls | 90 |
| 6 | Alpine | 60 |
| 7 | Haas | 21 |
| 8 | Audi | 12 |
| 9 | Williams | 11 |
| 10 | Aston Martin | 1 |
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Curated by JD · samwise.agency