BAKU, Sept. 27 -- George Russell resisted a late charge from Max Verstappen to claim his first lights-to-flag victory with a composed drive for Mercedes in yesterday's thrilling Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The 28-year-old Briton came home just 0.196 seconds ahead of the four-time champion with his Red Bull team-mate Isack Hadjar third on his return after a broken wrist in a race punctuated by two safety cars.

It was Russell's first win on the fast, challenging streets of Baku, his first since the Austrian Grand Prix in June,and the eighth of his career. It trimmed team-mate Kimi Antonelli's lead in the drivers' championship to 66 points.

Antonelli finished fifth behind Ferrari's Charles Leclerc after slicing through the field from 16th on t...