Lewis Hamilton voiced his disappointment with Ferrari's handling of the final qualifying segment after he ended up sixth on the grid for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion felt the Italian team deviated from the original plan, leaving him at a disadvantage when it mattered most. In his post‑qualifying interview with Sky Sports F1, Hamilton explained that Ferrari chose to run only a single short stint in Q3, rather than the two‑run approach that most of the front‑runners had employed. "It was a pretty bad qualifying once again.
It's not for lack of trying," Hamilton said. He added that his first two qualifying phases had gone relatively smoothly – Q1 was "pretty decent" and even though Q2 presented a few challenges, he felt the team could have managed the third segment better.
"When we got to Q3 they changed the plan," he continued, pointing out that the decision to wait meant he lost the opportunity to benefit from a slipstream, or "tow", behind another car on Baku's long main straight. In the high‑speed environment of the Baku circuit, a tow can shave crucial tenths off a lap time, especially on the 2.2‑kilometre straight that leads into the tight city section.
Hamilton noted that his teammate Charles Leclerc enjoyed a tow from Hamilton himself because the Monegasque was scheduled to run second in the final knockout session. Leclerc, in turn, secured a front‑row start, qualifying second behind Mercedes driver George Russell, who claimed pole with a season‑best half‑second advantage.
Hamilton's frustration was not only about the timing of the run but also about the lack of a car ahead to push him. "Instead of doing two runs we ended up waiting and then because I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody ahead of me on a tow so that was worth quite a chunk in itself," he explained.
He conceded that even with a perfect run, matching Mercedes' outright straight‑line speed would have been a tall order. "They are just outright so much quicker on the straights than us.
They did a great job," he added, acknowledging the dominant performance of the Mercedes power unit. Three of the five cars positioned ahead of Hamilton on the starting grid – Russell, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – all run Mercedes engines, underscoring the power‑unit advantage that Hamilton feared would make overtaking difficult. "I think it's going to be hard to overtake a Mercedes tomorrow," Hamilton said, emphasizing that maintaining parity on the long straight would be a significant challenge, but promising to give the race his all.
Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, speaking after qualifying, defended the strategic shift. "We made some significant changes to the set‑up and to our approach, and they paid off today," Vasseur said.
He praised Russell's early pace in practice and highlighted Leclerc's effort in putting the car on the front row. Regarding Hamilton, Vasseur admitted that the altered run plan complicated the synchronization needed for a tow, and noted that Hamilton had brushed the wall on his first lap in Q3, further hampering his attempt. Nonetheless, Vasseur commended Hamilton for recovering to finish sixth despite the lack of a final‑lap tow.
Leclerc, who celebrated Ferrari's first front‑row start since the Hungarian Grand Prix, reflected on his lap time. He acknowledged that the gap to Russell was larger than expected – "a lot more than what we expected" – despite a challenging Thursday of practice and qualifying.
"Honestly, it was quite a good lap," he said, noting that Hamilton was roughly three to four seconds ahead at the start of his final flying lap. He admitted that the margin to Russell suggested his lap might not have been sufficient for pole, but remained optimistic about the race pace. The young driver expressed confidence in the race trim of the Ferrari, stating that the team often performs better over longer stints than in a single qualifying lap.
"We'll try, and we'll do our best," Leclerc affirmed. "Whether that'll be enough, only time will tell. But we know that we have a good race car, more often than not better in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that it will be the case again this weekend." Vasseur added that tyre degradation in Baku is expected to be minimal, making track position a crucial factor. He highlighted that, despite the lack of podium finishes in the previous four races, Ferrari is in a position to score valuable points if they can manage the unpredictable nature of the street circuit.
"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," he said. The race schedule for Saturday, September 26, includes a Formula 2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, a build‑up session for the Grand Prix at 10:30 am, the main event at 12:00 pm, followed by post‑race analysis and commentary throughout the afternoon.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and streamed via NOW, with no long‑term contract required, allowing viewers to cancel at any time. The weekend promises a triple‑header of action, with the Baku street circuit offering its usual mix of high‑speed straights, tight corners, and the ever‑present potential for surprises.