Charles Leclerc’s front-row start for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix has given Ferrari some much-needed breathing space at exactly the right moment. The Maranello team has not stood on the podium since Belgium on 19 July, making Leclerc’s second place in Baku qualifying particularly valuable as Ferrari searches for the results needed to restore some stability around the team.
The determination to end that run had already become clear on Friday evening, when Ferrari decided against fitting a new power unit to Leclerc’s car. From several perspectives, installing a fresh unit would have been a logical choice, but Leclerc has traditionally had something extra around Baku and condemning him to a start from the back of the grid did not appear to be the best option.
So far, Ferrari’s decision to avoid a Baku grid penalty for Charles Leclerc has paid off.
Charles Leclerc exceeds Ferrari’s expectations in Baku
Leclerc’s second place went beyond Ferrari’s best expectations heading into qualifying, when the front row had appeared likely to be locked out by the two Mercedes cars. With Kimi Antonelli dropping out of contention, one of those positions suddenly became available and Leclerc seized the opportunity.
This time, the overall package came together effectively, including an unexpected circumstance that worked in Leclerc’s favour. The alternating order in which Ferrari’s two drivers had left the pits during the Baku weekend meant Lewis Hamilton had priority. It had been widely assumed that Hamilton would choose to run behind Leclerc, but the seven-time world champion opted for the opposite arrangement.
On the first Q3 flying lap, Hamilton clipped a wall but was still able to provide his team-mate with a tow, with Leclerc approximately six seconds behind. On the second and final flying lap, the Monegasque was around four seconds behind Hamilton, producing a greater benefit from the slipstream.
That assistance proved decisive in allowing Leclerc to beat Oscar Piastri, given that the Ferrari driver finished just one thousandth of a second ahead of the McLaren. The full qualifying picture can also be explored through the F1 Qualifying Pace & Sector Comparison.
The result ultimately placed Leclerc alongside George Russell on the front row, with the Mercedes driver taking a commanding pole position. Ferrari therefore emerged from Saturday with a considerably stronger result than had appeared likely during much of the weekend.
Leclerc explains Ferrari’s tyre challenge in Azerbaijan
Leclerc explained that he had felt in tune with the car, although seeing the 0.837-second deficit to Russell made clear just how substantial the gap remained. Nevertheless, the Ferrari felt better to him than it had during the rest of the weekend after several difficult sessions in which the team had not been as competitive.
“I felt at one with the car, but then I saw the gap to Russell (0.837s), and that’s quite a significant margin,” Leclerc explained. “The car still felt better compared to the rest of the weekend. We’ve had some difficulties over the last few days and we certainly haven’t been as competitive. The challenge this weekend is getting these tyres into the right window. I think probably McLaren and ourselves have been in a similar situation: we struggled quite a lot in practice, then in qualifying I felt we did a better job in that respect.”
Ferrari had already shown signs of progress before qualifying, particularly after making a step forward with deployment and the SF-26 set-up in FP3. However, Leclerc’s comments highlighted how difficult it remained to extract predictable performance from the car around the demanding Baku street circuit.
“Normally I feel that one of my strengths at this track is being able to be very precise and take quite a lot of risks with how close I get to the walls,” Leclerc added. “But this weekend I simply haven’t been able to do that because the car wasn’t reacting exactly as I wanted. It was quite unpredictable. Even in qualifying there was still a certain amount of unpredictability. The situation improved, but I still had to leave myself a little more margin than I usually do here.”
Leclerc nevertheless delivered when Ferrari needed him. His advantage over Hamilton was around half a second, with the British driver qualifying sixth and never really appearing to be in contention for a top-three position.
Ferrari’s podium battle remains difficult to predict
The outlook for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix itself remains far from settled. Barring unexpected circumstances, Leclerc appears to have little chance of challenging Russell, while the relative race performance between Ferrari, McLaren and, above all, Red Bull is considerably harder to assess.
The podium battle is likely to revolve around that contest, but there is limited long-run information available. A red flag interrupted Thursday’s FP2 session and prevented the teams from completing sufficiently meaningful long runs to establish a clear competitive order.
“We’ll do our best,” Leclerc concluded. “We know we have a car that behaves better in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that will be the case this weekend as well.”
That possibility makes converting the front-row start particularly important. Ferrari’s recent qualifying and race results can be followed through its qualifying-to-race performance statistics, with Leclerc now facing the immediate task of turning second on the grid into the team’s first podium since Belgium.
Ferrari needs results as pressure and rumours grow
There is no world championship target at stake for Ferrari in Baku, but returning to the podium would still carry considerable significance. The team needs a strong result to restore calm, because results remain the most effective medicine for reducing the rumours that inevitably become louder during prolonged periods without success.
It has always been that way at Maranello. It is almost as much a part of Ferrari tradition as tortellini in broth at the team’s Christmas dinner.
The latest chapter arrived with an interview Christian Horner gave to The Times on Friday. The former Red Bull team principal made it quite explicit that he would be open to the right opportunity. Over the previous year, Horner had consistently maintained that having an ownership stake in a team would be an essential condition before he considered an offer capable of bringing him back to Formula 1. Now, however, he has identified one exception.
“I’ve already been an employee,” Horner explained. “I’ve spent 21 years sitting on the pit wall. I don’t feel the need to go back into that role. At this point in my life, there’s only one team for which I would accept not having an ownership stake. Would I consider Ferrari? I mean, Ferrari is the biggest brand in Formula 1. It’s the dream. And it’s probably Formula 1’s sleeping giant.”
Horner’s remarks have inevitably placed Ferrari back at the centre of speculation. His position and the significance of the exception he identified are particularly notable given that Christian Horner has now publicly opened the door to Ferrari without requiring an ownership stake.
Why a Baku podium matters beyond the result itself
Whether Horner’s comments represent a genuine candidacy or simply a way of returning to the spotlight as the release of his autobiography and an accompanying theatre tour approach remains to be seen.
Regardless of how much substance lies behind those words, situations of this kind inevitably increase the pressure surrounding Ferrari. They do little to create the calm environment that, perhaps more than ever, is essential if a working group is to devote all of its energy to performing at its best.
That is why Ferrari needs to return to the podium. Before asking whether the Maranello team really is Formula 1’s sleeping giant, that giant first needs to start showing signs of waking up.
Leave a Reply