Charles Leclerc secured a place on the front row for Ferrari in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying, extracting second place from an SF-26 that continued to show clear limitations around Baku. The result was considerably stronger than the outlook suggested before the session, although George Russell’s pole position remained more than eight tenths of a second beyond the Ferrari driver’s reach.
Qualifying had represented a major unknown for the Scuderia. Hybrid deployment, tyre management and the ability to maximise performance by running as close as possible to Baku’s walls were all decisive factors, and each became harder to manage when the car itself was operating with evident limitations. The eventual P2 for Charles Leclerc therefore represented an impressive outcome, while Lewis Hamilton ended the session sixth. The full Azerbaijan GP qualifying result confirmed the very different fortunes of Ferrari’s two drivers.
Baku Q1: Ferrari works to understand the SF-26
Both Ferraris began their first stint on Pirelli Soft tyres, a compound that needed to be brought into the correct operating window before the flying lap and then kept there throughout the entire tour. That was precisely where one of Ferrari’s difficulties emerged: avoiding a thermal imbalance, particularly because the front axle tended to cool repeatedly during Baku’s long high-speed sections.
The handling remained broadly consistent with what Ferrari had experienced in FP3. The SF-26 looked better on corner entry but still rather aggressive under acceleration, although similar behaviour could also be seen on several other leading cars. It was a deliberate compromise, with some oversteer helping the car rotate before the drivers then had to manage the instability under traction.
Lewis Hamilton initially appeared more comfortable with the car, until Charles Leclerc finally put together a clean lap after the mistakes that had affected his final practice session. It remained unclear whether Ferrari had standardised the hybrid-management approach across the two cars or whether the differences seen in FP3 were still present. Either way, both Ferraris progressed to Q2 without difficulty after the team had already made progress with deployment and setup during FP3.
Baku Q2 exposes Ferrari tyre and power limitations
The tyre problem became apparent immediately in Q2, with Lewis Hamilton criticising the way the tyres had been brought up to temperature. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, reported that he was “power limited”, an issue that was relatively easy to anticipate given the demands of the Baku layout.
Two corners were proving particularly troublesome for the SF-26: Turns 8 and 12. Ferrari needed another step from the drivers in those areas if more lap time was to be found. Even so, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton continued to attack aggressively, knowing that limiting the deficit required them to operate close to the margins of what the car would allow.
They did push beyond the normal comfort zone, but without reaching the level of “overdrive” seen during FP3. Wind conditions were another complication, and it was the gusts that contributed to a snap for Charles Leclerc during one of his fast laps.
Ferrari completed three attempts in the session, revealing another weakness in the process: understeer through the medium- and low-speed corners. The issue could have been linked to front-tyre temperature, reinforcing the wider picture seen in the team’s Baku telemetry analysis of the SF-26’s cornering difficulties. Despite those problems, both cars advanced to Q3.
Charles Leclerc maximises Ferrari potential to secure Baku P2
By the final phase of qualifying, the Ferraris were performing better than had been expected. The team had managed to limit the damage, optimise the hybrid system and give both drivers cars capable of fighting near the front. The tyre limitation remained, however, and Ferrari still needed to find a more effective solution, potentially through a more aggressive warm-up procedure. Without maximum grip, the car’s balance could change very quickly.
Turn 1 appeared to be one of the keys to producing a strong Ferrari lap, something Charles Leclerc had already demonstrated during Q2. Repeating that execution was important if the Scuderia was to achieve a competitive result in the final session.
After completing their preparation laps, both Ferrari drivers attacked at the limit. Neither produced a completely clean attempt, and Lewis Hamilton even brushed the wall at Turn 7, fortunately without damaging the SF-26.
On his final run, Charles Leclerc found several more tenths and remarkably placed Ferrari on the front row. It was an exceptional driving performance given the difficulties experienced throughout the weekend, even though the gap to George Russell’s pole remained around eight tenths.
The detailed differences between the drivers and across the Baku lap can be explored through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison.
Lewis Hamilton could not produce the same final improvement, ending qualifying approximately half a second behind his Ferrari team-mate. The Scuderia therefore leaves qualifying with an unexpectedly strong P2 for Charles Leclerc but a clear reminder of the SF-26’s remaining limitations. The question now is whether the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself will tell a very different story.
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