Lewis Hamilton voiced his irritation with Ferrari’s approach to the final qualifying segment after he secured sixth place for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, remarking that "they altered the strategy." Hamilton questioned why Ferrari opted for a single, extended run at the very end of Q3 rather than sending Charles Leclerc out earlier for a shorter, initial stint, a tactic employed by Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen. The seven‑time world champion explained that his last flying laps suffered because he lacked the aerodynamic benefit of a tow – the slipstream effect generated by a car ahead – which is crucial for maximizing straight‑line speed along Baku’s lengthy main straight. In contrast, Leclerc benefitted from Hamilton’s own tow when it was his turn to hit the track second in the final qualifying round. Leclerc’s effort placed him on the front row, second only to dominant Mercedes pole‑sitter 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 another disappointing qualifying. It wasn’t for lack of trying. Q1 and Q2 were fairly solid – Q1 was decent, Q2 a little shaky – and then, heading 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 to give me a tow, which cost me a significant chunk of time.
In any case, we couldn’t match the Mercedes. They are simply much quicker on the straights.
They did a fantastic job." Three of the five cars ahead of Hamilton on the grid – Russell, and the McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – all run Mercedes power units for Saturday’s 1 pm race. "I think overtaking a Mercedes tomorrow will be very difficult," Hamilton added. "Keeping up with a Mercedes engine on the straight will be a challenge, but I’ll give it everything I’ve got." Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur, speaking after qualifying, said: "We introduced several substantial changes to the car’s set‑up and to our overall approach, and they paid off today. George has been strong since the first lap of FP1, and Charles did an excellent job to get the car onto the front row.
For Lewis, it was hard to get a tow because the differing run plans made synchronisation with the other cars complicated. He also brushed the wall on his first lap in Q3, which compromised that attempt, but he recovered well enough 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, even after a challenging Thursday. "Honestly, it was a pretty good lap," he said.
"Lewis was three‑four seconds ahead, I think, and I managed a strong lap at the end. But when I look at the gap to George, perhaps the lap wasn’t good enough." Despite the gap, Leclerc remained optimistic about the race, citing the strong long‑run pace his team displayed in practice. "We’ll try and do our best," he said. "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, noting Ferrari’s lack of podium finishes over the previous four races, added: "Tyre degradation is expected to be very low, which could make track position especially important. We are in a position to score solid points with both cars, even though Baku is always unpredictable." The 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 main Azerbaijan Grand Prix at 12 pm, the chequered‑flag reaction segment at 2 pm, and finally Ted’s Notebook at 3 pm, all also broadcast live on Sky Sports Main Event. The 2026 Formula 1 season continues its live coverage 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, with no long‑term contract required and the ability to cancel at any time.
The race promises high‑speed drama on Baku’s street circuit, where slipstreaming on the long straight can be decisive, and where Ferrari’s revised strategy will be put to the test against the pace‑dominant Mercedes team.