F1 | Lewis Hamilton admits mistake and apologizes to Charles Leclerc after failed position swap in Baku. Ferrari endured a disastrous Azerbaijan GP in Baku.

A difficult race for Ferrari in Baku

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix proved to be a nightmare for Scuderia Ferrari. First came the problems that slowed Charles Leclerc, then the error by Lewis Hamilton, who failed to give the position back to his teammate. Both Ferrari drivers ended up outside the fight for strong points, finishing only eighth and ninth in a DRS train led by Liam Lawson, who secured fifth place. The result also hurt Ferrari’s main objective for the season’s closing stages: securing second in the Constructors’ Championship, which has now shifted in favor of Mercedes.

A weekend to forget for Maranello

Expectations going into the weekend were far higher, especially after a strong Friday where Lewis Hamilton showed impressive form. However, a disastrous Saturday left both SF-25 cars on the back foot. With the current Ferrari struggling to escape the long DRS trains in the midfield, overtaking proved almost impossible during the race, condemning the team to damage limitation rather than podium contention.

The late-race controversy between Hamilton and Leclerc

In the closing laps, a small controversy added to Ferrari’s woes. Charles Leclerc, hampered by engine issues, allowed a faster Hamilton through in order to chase Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda and Liam Lawson ahead. But when the Briton failed to make any progress, Ferrari instructed him to hand the place back. Hamilton attempted to comply just meters before the finish line, but he still crossed ahead of Charles Leclerc by a few tenths of a second, creating an awkward moment for the team.

Hamilton admits his mistake and apologizes

After the race, the seven-time world champion explained what happened in those final moments. He noted that he had been faster than Leclerc at that stage and appreciated his teammate letting him through. However, he received the team’s message to swap positions very late, while his full attention was on the cars ahead, hoping for a last-chance overtake. Hamilton said that on the final straight he did lift off and brake, but the gap was too small for Leclerc to retake the place, with only four tenths separating them at the finish line.

Hamilton admitted it was simply an error of judgment and apologized directly to Charles Leclerc. He emphasized that it would not happen again, while also pointing out that they were only fighting for eighth and ninth position. The episode, though minor in terms of points, highlighted Ferrari’s struggles on a weekend where both performance and execution fell short of expectations.