Lewis Hamilton voiced his irritation with Ferrari’s handling of the final qualifying session after he ended up sixth on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The seven‑time champion felt the Italian team deviated from the original plan, a change that, in his view, cost him a better starting position. During the post‑session interview Hamilton questioned why Ferrari only managed a single, short run at the very end of Q3, instead of sending Charles Leclerc out earlier for a longer, multi‑lap attempt like the other front‑running squads. Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull, with Max Verstappen at the helm, all opted for early runs that gave their drivers the benefit of a slipstream – the aerodynamic tow that boosts straight‑line speed on Baku’s famously long main straight.
Hamilton explained that his final laps were hampered by the lack of a tow, noting that Leclerc did enjoy a slipstream from Hamilton because the Monegasque driver was scheduled to run second in the last knockout round. Leclerc’s effort secured him a front‑row start, placing him second behind the pole‑sitter George Russell, who posted a season‑best half‑second advantage over his rivals.
Russell’s dominant pole lap underscored the sheer pace of the Mercedes package on the Baku circuit, a factor that Hamilton repeatedly highlighted throughout his remarks. Reflecting on his own qualifying performance, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "It was a pretty bad qualifying once again. It’s not for lack of trying. Q1 and Q2 were fairly decent – Q1 actually looked solid, while we struggled a little more in Q2.
Then, as we moved into Q3, the plan changed." He continued, "Instead of doing two runs we ended up waiting, and because I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody in front to give me a tow, which cost me a significant chunk of time. Either way, we just couldn’t match the Mercedes.
They are simply much quicker on the straights, and they executed a great lap." Three of the five cars ahead of Hamilton – Russell’s Mercedes and the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – all run Mercedes power units, which further emphasized the engine advantage on the long straightaways. Hamilton admitted the challenge ahead, saying, "I think it will be difficult to overtake a Mercedes tomorrow. Keeping up with a Mercedes engine on the straight will be tough, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got." Ferrari team principal Frédéric Vasseur, speaking after qualifying, explained the rationale behind the altered approach: "We made some significant changes to the set‑up and to our approach, and they paid off today. George has been very strong since the first lap of FP1, but Charles did a good job to put the car on the front row." Regarding Hamilton’s situation, Vasseur added, "On Lewis’s side, it was difficult to get a tow because the different run plans made it complicated to synchronise with the other cars.
He also brushed the wall on his first lap in Q3, which compromised that attempt, but he recovered well to finish sixth despite not having a tow on his final lap." Leclerc, who delivered Ferrari’s first front‑row start since the Hungarian Grand Prix, expressed satisfaction with his lap time but acknowledged the gap to Russell was larger than expected. "Honestly, it was quite a good lap," he said. "Lewis was three‑four seconds ahead, and I managed a strong lap at the end.
But when I see the gap to George, maybe the lap wasn’t good enough." Nevertheless, Leclerc remained optimistic about the race, pointing to the promising long‑run pace shown in practice. "We’ll try, and we’ll do our best," he affirmed. "Whether that’ll be enough, only time will tell. But we know we have a good race car, often better in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that will be the case again this weekend." Vasseur, whose team has not reached the podium in the last four races, highlighted tyre wear expectations: "Tyre degradation is expected to be very low, which could make track position particularly important.
We are in a position to score good points with both cars, even if Baku is always unpredictable." The weekend schedule features a packed program: the F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am on Saturday, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, and the main Azerbaijan Grand Prix at 12:00 pm. Post‑race coverage, including the chequered‑flag reaction and a segment called "Ted’s Notebook," will continue into the afternoon. All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with streaming available via NOW without a long‑term contract. The Baku race marks the continuation of the 2026 Formula 1 season and promises a thrilling showdown, especially given the strategic nuances and engine performance disparities highlighted by Hamilton and Ferrari throughout qualifying.