Charles Leclerc loses two places in two laps in Baku
Charles Leclerc’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix unfortunately changed quickly in the opening phase of the race, with the Ferrari driver dropping from third to fifth after being passed on consecutive laps by Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen.
The first move came on lap four of 51. Isack Hadjar had been unable to complete an overtake into Turn One, but the Red Bull driver remained close enough to attack again and then moved ahead of Charles Leclerc on the run to Turn Three. The pass promoted Isack Hadjar into third place and immediately placed Ferrari under further pressure from the second Red Bull.
Max Verstappen follows through one lap later
The Monegasque had little time to recover from losing the position. On lap five, Max Verstappen also found a way past, this time completing the move into Turn One. That left Isack Hadjar running third and Max Verstappen fourth, with Charles Leclerc dropping to fifth after losing two positions in the space of two laps.
The sequence was particularly significant because both Red Bull cars were able to move ahead of the Ferrari in rapid succession rather than becoming trapped behind Charles Leclerc. At that stage of the race, the immediate effect was clear: Ferrari had lost track position to both Red Bulls, while Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen were free to focus on the cars ahead.
Red Bull pair close enough to pressure George Russell
After the two overtakes, Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen were running around four seconds behind George Russell. That gap left the Red Bull pair within reach of the Mercedes driver if their pace remained strong enough over the following laps.
What could not yet be established from the early running was whether either Red Bull would actually be able to close that gap or challenge George Russell later in the race. At that point, the important fact was simply that both had cleared the Monegasque and improved their track position during a very short phase of the Grand Prix.
For Charles Leclerc, the back-to-back overtakes represented an early setback after holding third place. Losing one position to Isack Hadjar was quickly followed by another to Max Verstappen, changing Ferrari’s situation near the front of the field within barely a lap.
The moment also created a clear split in the immediate race order: Isack Hadjar moved into third, Max Verstappen followed into fourth and Charles Leclerc was pushed back to fifth. With 46 laps still remaining after Max Verstappen’s pass, the longer-term consequences for Ferrari depended on how the race developed from there.
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