Lewis Hamilton voiced his irritation with Ferrari's tactics during the final qualifying session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after he ended up sixth on the grid. The seven‑time champion complained that the Italian team altered their plan at the last minute, leaving him without the aerodynamic assistance, or "tow," that many drivers rely on to maximise straight‑line speed down Baku's long main straight.
In the closing stage of Q3, most front‑running teams—including Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull with Max Verstappen—opted to run multiple short flying laps early on, ensuring they could benefit from a car ahead to push them through the wind tunnel of the circuit. Hamilton, however, was instructed to complete only a single, longer run after the other competitors had already set their times. This meant he was the first car on the track in his final stint, with no one ahead to generate a slipstream.
By contrast, his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc enjoyed a tow from Hamilton because the Monegasque was scheduled to go out second in the knockout round. Leclerc's strategy paid off, as he secured second place on the grid, just behind Mercedes pole‑sitter George Russell, who posted a season‑best half‑second advantage over the rest of the field.
Reflecting on the session, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: "It was a pretty bad qualifying once again. It's not for lack of trying. Q1 and Q2 were decent, but in Q3 they changed the plan.
Instead of doing two runs we waited, and because I was ahead of Charles I had nobody in front of me for a tow, which cost a lot of time. In any case we couldn't match the Mercedes – they're just outright faster on the straights.
They did a great job." Hamilton added that three of the five cars ahead of him on the starting grid—Russell, Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris—are powered by Mercedes engines, making overtaking a formidable challenge. "I think it's going to be hard to overtake a Mercedes tomorrow," he said, acknowledging the difficulty of keeping up with their straight‑line power. "Keeping up with a Mercedes engine on the straight will be tough but I'll give it everything I've got." Ferrari team principal Frederic 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.
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 celebrated Ferrari's first front‑row start since the Hungarian Grand Prix, praised his own lap but admitted the gap to Russell was larger than expected: "Honestly, it was quite a good lap.
Lewis was three‑four seconds ahead, and I managed a solid time at the end. But when I see the gap to George, maybe the lap wasn't good enough." Despite the disappointment, he remained optimistic about the race, noting that Ferrari often performs better in race conditions than in qualifying. "We'll try, and we'll do our best.
Whether that'll be enough, only time will tell. We know we have a good race car, more often than not better in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that will be the case again this weekend." Vasseur also highlighted the low tyre‑degradation expected at Baku, suggesting that track position could be crucial. "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 weekend schedule is packed, with the F2 Feature Race at 7:55 am, a build‑up session at 10:30 am, the Grand Prix itself at noon, followed by post‑race analysis and commentary later in the afternoon.
The event will be broadcast live on Sky Sports F1 and streamed via NOW, offering viewers a contract‑free way to watch the action. Hamilton's frustration underscores the importance of strategic flexibility in Formula 1 qualifying, especially on circuits like Baku where aerodynamic tow can shave crucial tenths off a lap. While Ferrari's adjustments secured a front‑row start for Leclerc, the altered plan left Hamilton vulnerable to the raw power of the Mercedes‑powered rivals.
As the race approaches, both teams will need to balance the advantages of early runs, tyre management and straight‑line speed to maximise their chances in a weekend that promises high drama and unpredictable outcomes.