Lewis Hamilton has rued Ferrari’s qualifying technique at Formulation 1’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, explaining it left him with no slipstream.
Hamilton’s efficiency worsened all through qualifying on Friday in Baku, as he outpaced team-mate Charles Leclerc by precisely one tenth in Q1 earlier than ending up 0.257s and 0.495s adrift within the following two segments respectively. As a consequence, he was sixth in Q3, along with his team-mate as much as the runner-up spot.
Nevertheless, the seven-time world champion reckoned his lack of tempo was down to 2 components: not simply his battle to extract essentially the most from his tyres, but additionally Ferrari’s technique, as he discovered himself towless on his single, six-lap Q3 run.
“We have been struggling all weekend to get the tyres working,” Hamilton mentioned. “Q1 was fairly OK. I felt just like the automotive wasn’t too unhealthy in Q1.
“In Q2 we began struggling much more with the rear tyres. And I used to be behind no less than some vehicles in these two periods. After Q2 they determined to vary the run plan and simply do one run, which hadn’t foreseen the truth that I’d come out with nobody forward of me, and simply towing Charles the entire time. It was 25 seconds behind George [Russell], so…”
He added: “Charles did a extremely good job. Proper on the finish I gave him a extremely good tow all the best way to the beginning line.”
Hamilton did expertise a tow in at this time’s FP3 session and believed it was price “six tenths” – which might theoretically have vaulted him to the entrance row in Q3.
“It is actually simply not having folks up forward,” he insisted as to his underwhelming consequence. “As I mentioned, I used to be weaving to attempt to save my life, and I nonetheless could not get these silly tyres working. It is such a ache within the arse. We have got to carry again some good tyres.”
Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari
Photograph by: Joe Portlock / Getty Photographs
Regardless of Leclerc’s encouraging consequence – and Hamilton’s obvious perception he may have been even faster – the Briton doesn’t consider Ferrari has the second-fastest equipment. “Possibly the third-fastest automotive,” he added. “I believe Max [Verstappen] has been faster all weekend, and I do not know what occurred to him within the session.
“Will probably be onerous to overhaul any of the vehicles.”
When his qualifying was described as a ‘excellent storm’ the place ‘nothing went proper’, a downbeat Hamilton responded: “It occurs on a regular basis, so I am used to it.”
This was the primary time in 2026 that the Ferrari racer certified greater than a second down on pole place, with a whopping 1.332s deficit to Mercedes’ George Russell – who was eight tenths quicker than anybody.
Photographs from F1 Azerbaijan GP – Friday
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