Lewis Hamilton voiced his disappointment with Ferrari’s strategy during the final qualifying session (Q3) after he secured sixth place for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, remarking that "they altered the strategy". The seven‑time world champion questioned why Ferrari chose to run only a single multi‑lap attempt at the very end of the knockout stage, rather than sending Charles Leclerc out earlier for an initial run like Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull did with Max Verstappen. Hamilton explained that his closing laps were hampered by the lack of a slipstream – the aerodynamic tow from a car ahead that boosts straight‑line speed on Baku’s famously long main straight. In contrast, Leclerc benefited from a tow provided by Hamilton because the Monegasque was scheduled to be the second driver to hit the track in the final qualifying segment.
Leclerc’s effort earned him a front‑row start, slotting in second behind the dominant pole‑sitter George Russell, who topped the session by an impressive eight‑tenths of a second – the biggest margin of the season so far. Reflecting on his own performance, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "It was a pretty poor qualifying once again. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Q1 and Q2 were fairly decent – Q1 was actually quite solid, Q2 we struggled a bit more, and then as we moved into Q3 they changed the plan." He added that the decision to abandon a two‑run approach forced him to wait, and because he was ahead of Charles on the grid, he had no car in front to provide a tow.
"That alone cost us a significant chunk of time," he said, noting that Mercedes were simply faster on the straights and had executed a flawless session. Three of the five cars positioned ahead of Hamilton on the starting grid – Russell’s Mercedes and the McLaren pair of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – all run Mercedes power units. Hamilton warned that overtaking a Mercedes on the Baku circuit would be a tough task.
"Keeping up with a Mercedes engine on the straight will be difficult, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got," he affirmed, acknowledging the challenge of matching the straight‑line speed advantage of the German‑made power units. Ferrari’s team principal, Frédéric Vasseur, addressed the situation in the post‑qualifying press conference. He said the team had made "significant changes to the set‑up and to our approach, and they paid off today." He praised George Russell’s consistency since the first practice session and highlighted Charles Leclerc’s performance that placed the Scuderia on the front row for the first time since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July.
Regarding Hamilton, Vasseur explained that the differing run strategies made it difficult to synchronise a tow, and that Hamilton’s first lap in Q3 was compromised after he brushed the wall, further hampering his attempt. Nevertheless, Hamilton recovered well enough to finish sixth despite lacking a tow on his final lap.
Leclerc, delighted with securing Ferrari’s first front‑row start of the season, admitted that the gap to Russell was larger than expected, even after a demanding Thursday. He said, "Honestly, it was quite a good lap. Lewis was three‑four seconds ahead, and I managed to set a solid lap at the end. But when I look at the gap to George, maybe the lap wasn’t good enough." Despite this, Leclerc remained optimistic about the race pace, noting that Ferrari’s car often performs better in race conditions than in qualifying.
"We’ll try, and we’ll do our best," he said. "Whether that will be enough, only time will tell.
But we know we have a good race car, often stronger in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that will be the case again this weekend." Vasseur also commented on tyre expectations, stating that degradation should be very low in Baku, which could make track position crucial. He added that despite Ferrari’s recent lack of podium finishes – none in the last four races – the team is positioned to collect valuable points with both drivers, even though the Baku circuit is notoriously unpredictable.
The weekend’s schedule includes a range of events: the F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am, the main race at 12:00 pm, followed by post‑race analysis and a segment called "Ted’s Notebook" later in the afternoon. All sessions are broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and can be streamed via NOW without a contract, with the option to cancel at any time. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to unfold on a Saturday, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix serving as the centerpiece of a triple‑header of races, promising high‑speed action on Baku’s street circuit and a strategic battle between the sport’s leading teams.