Sick but superb: Russell reveals virus nearly ruled him out of Azerbaijan GP

On the brink — then on the podium

George Russell battled a virus throughout the Baku weekend and admitted he was so unwell on Friday that, had the race been Singapore, he likely would have withdrawn. He missed Thursday’s media duties, climbed back into the car for practice, and by Sunday delivered a clinical drive to second place.

Big points under pressure

Russell’s runner-up finish marked his seventh podium of the year and helped lift Mercedes to second in the constructors’ standings. Rookie team-mate Kimi Antonelli followed in fourth, adding heft to the team’s late-season surge.

What might have been

Ill or not, Russell operated with the poise of a team leader. In a race where the margins behind Verstappen were slim, his decision-making and tyre management turned a compromised build-up into a high-value result.