Lewis Hamilton voiced his displeasure with Ferrari’s tactics during the final qualifying session (Q3) after he secured sixth place for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, remarking that "they changed the plan". The seven‑time world champion questioned why Ferrari opted for a single, multi‑lap run at the very end of the knockout stage instead of sending Charles Leclerc out earlier for a short opening stint, a strategy that Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull with Max Verstappen had all employed. Hamilton explained that his final laps suffered because he lacked the aerodynamic benefit known as a "tow" – the slipstream effect generated by a car ahead that boosts straight‑line speed on Baku’s lengthy main straight. Leclerc, on the other hand, enjoyed a tow from Hamilton because the Monegasque driver was scheduled to run second in the last qualifying segment.
Leclerc’s effort paid off, as he qualified second behind the dominant Mercedes driver George Russell, who topped the session by a season‑best margin of eight‑tenths of a second. Reflecting on his own 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 – at least Q1 felt solid, Q2 we struggled a bit more, and then as we went into Q3 they changed the plan." He continued, "Instead of doing two runs we ended up waiting, and because I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody in front of me to give a tow, which cost us a significant amount of time. In any case, we couldn’t match the Mercedes.
They are simply much quicker on the straights. They did an excellent job." Three of the five cars 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 added, "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." In Ferrari’s post‑qualifying press conference, team principal Frédéric Vasseur explained the reasoning behind the altered approach: "We made 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 said, "On Lewis’ 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 secured Ferrari’s first front‑row start since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, expressed satisfaction with his lap time but admitted the gap to Russell was larger than expected, especially after a challenging Thursday.
"Honestly, it was quite a good lap," he said. "Lewis was three‑four seconds in front, and I managed a solid lap at the end. But when I see the gap to George, maybe the lap wasn’t good enough." Despite the gap, Leclerc remained optimistic about the race, pointing to the strong long‑run pace his car demonstrated in practice. "We’ll try and we’ll do our best," he stated.
"Whether that will 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 a podium in the last four races, added a strategic note about tyre wear: "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 race weekend schedule is packed: Saturday, September 26, begins with the F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, followed by the Grand Prix build‑up at 10:30 am. The Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself starts at 12:00 pm, with the chequered flag ceremony and post‑race reaction slated for 2:00 pm, and a final segment called "Ted’s Notebook" at 3:00 pm.
All sessions will also be available live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues to be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1, with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix marking the start of a triple‑header of races.
Viewers can stream the action via NOW without a long‑term contract and cancel at any time, ensuring easy access to the high‑speed drama unfolding on Baku’s street circuit.