2026 F1 standings after Azerbaijan: Russell closes on Antonelli as Mercedes leads

After the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on 26 September, Kimi Antonelli continued to lead the 2026 F1 drivers’ standings on 302 points. Baku winner George Russell was second on 236, reducing the gap to 66. Mercedes led the constructors’ standings on 538, 160 ahead of Ferrari. Red Bull’s double podium earned 33 points and brought it closer to third-placed McLaren.

Drivers: Russell recovers 15 points as Antonelli climbs from 16th to fifth

Russell scored 25 points and Antonelli ten, reducing their pre-race 81-point gap by 15. After crashing in qualifying, Antonelli started 16th and recovered to fifth. In his interview on F1’s official website, he said the qualifying mistake affected his confidence and contact with Oliver Bearman at the restart damaged the floor. His main task that day was damage limitation.

Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc occupied third to fifth on 199, 186 and 179 points. Max Verstappen finished second at this event, reaching 163 points and remaining sixth; Isack Hadjar’s third place took him to 86 points in eighth. Esteban Ocon’s four points brought his total to seven, level with Nico Hülkenberg and Carlos Sainz. The official standings list Hülkenberg 15th, Ocon 16th and Sainz 17th.

Constructors: Red Bull closes on McLaren as Haas ends its scoreless run

Mercedes scored 35 points at the event and Ferrari 20, extending their season gap from 145 to 160. Neither McLaren scored, leaving its total at 306. Verstappen and Hadjar earned Red Bull 33 points, taking it to 263 and reducing its deficit to McLaren from 76 to 43, while it remained fourth in the standings.

Ocon’s eighth and Bearman’s ninth gave Haas six points, its first since Monaco, for a total of 27 in seventh. Racing Bulls and Alpine remained ahead on 83 and 68. The complete standings at the end of the article include all 23 drivers and 11 teams. The team column for drivers follows F1’s official website at that time and includes Yuki Tsunoda, who also competed during the season.

INKA SPORTS analysis: recovering a gap in one round still requires sustained delivery

Baku stopped Russell’s recent loss of ground but did not reverse the slightly longer cumulative trend. The FIA’s race-by-race points table shows Antonelli scoring 75 points to Russell’s 51 in the three weekends before Baku, widening the gap by 24. The 15 recovered here did not fully offset that loss. Russell’s reported improvement in adapting his driving translated into pole and victory at this event. A title challenge now requires converting that competitiveness into a sustained relative scoring advantage.

Antonelli’s fifth explains how a leader can preserve a sizeable cushion on a difficult weekend. Faced with a low starting position, reduced confidence and floor damage, he still brought the race into the top five. The safety car compressed the field to create opportunities, and he then passed Hamilton to gain position. For a points leader already on the back foot, avoiding another mistake and converting available opportunities also affect the championship. Alongside Russell’s win at the front, that maintained the strength of Mercedes’ scoring with both cars.

The constructors’ order also requires separating season accumulation from competitiveness at this event. Red Bull still trails McLaren, but its double podium showed that Verstappen was not the only driver able to exploit its Baku performance. Hadjar also felt the car had speed throughout the weekend. McLaren’s zero combined Piastri’s lock-up with Norris being eliminated in a collision. The resulting 43-point gap reflects both Red Bull converting both cars’ speed and its rival losing scoring opportunities. A single round’s points swing cannot directly measure the performance difference between the cars.

Conclusion

Baku changed the direction of the points battle at this event: Russell won to narrow the intra-team gap, while Antonelli salvaged points to preserve the basis of his lead. Mercedes extended its constructors’ advantage and Red Bull drew closer to McLaren. Assessing the title trend now requires both recent accumulated scores and the quality of execution on difficult weekends. One victory proves an opportunity has been taken; sustained relative gains are what change the season total.

Standings