Ferrari had to settle for points rather than satisfaction at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, round 15 of the 2026 Formula 1 season. Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton sixth in Baku, helped in part by Oscar Piastri’s mistake, Lando Norris’s retirement and a far from flawless race from Kimi Antonelli. It was another weekend in which the main protagonists were elsewhere rather than inside the Maranello garage.
Ferrari’s power unit limitations immediately exposed
The start was far from ideal for Ferrari. Lewis Hamilton initially held sixth place, only to lose it on lap two when Max Verstappen attacked. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, could not exploit the extra grip of the Soft tyres because of a poor clutch release, costing him second place to Oscar Piastri at Turn 2. That was how Ferrari’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix began.
By lap four, Isack Hadjar’s Red Bull was next to pass the number 16 Ferrari. Charles Leclerc defended fiercely into Turn 1, but on the straight leading towards Turn 3 he had to concede because of a lack of energy. Half a lap later, the same thing happened with Max Verstappen, who swept past the Ferrari. The weakness on Baku’s long acceleration zones was one of the central themes of Ferrari’s SF-26 telemetry analysis from Azerbaijan.
What stood out just as much was the tone of the radio communications. There was no anger or particular concern because the Ferrari drivers already appeared to know what they were facing. Charles Leclerc was largely silent, simply taking in instructions about power unit settings, while Lewis Hamilton resignedly pointed out the lack of power. For the team, perhaps, it was an expected start. For the fans, rather less so.
Lewis Hamilton passes Lando Norris before the Safety Car
After ten laps, little had changed. The two SF-26s were running fifth and seventh, separated by reigning world champion Lando Norris’s McLaren. The timing screens showed a significant pace difference compared with Mercedes, yet Lewis Hamilton was told over the radio: “the pace is good”. Was it really? Perhaps it was when Ferrari’s power unit deficit was taken into account.
It was less encouraging when considering the two Evo steps Ferrari had introduced in an attempt to improve its engine. Although both the team and drivers have maintained that progress has been made, the track continued to paint a more difficult picture. Ferrari’s management of its latest specification was already a major topic in Baku, including the decision that allowed Charles Leclerc to avoid an Azerbaijan GP grid penalty with the ADUO-2 engine. It was particularly frustrating because, with a power unit capable of delivering at the required level everywhere, the car appeared capable of fighting much closer to the front.
By lap 16, the race had entered a holding pattern and the positions were largely frozen. Only Kimi Antonelli was making significant progress, climbing back to 11th.
Then, somewhat unexpectedly, Lewis Hamilton began putting increasing pressure on Lando Norris’s McLaren. The Ferrari driver eventually attacked and passed his fellow Briton, taking sixth place immediately behind Charles Leclerc. The race continued without another major change until lap 31, when the Safety Car was deployed. Both Ferraris were called into the pits and switched to Pirelli Medium tyres, following the same strategy as the cars ahead.
Ferrari survives two Safety Car periods
The field closed up, and it took six laps for the track to be restored to normal racing conditions and Alex Albon’s Williams to be removed from the barriers. At the restart, however, a multi-car accident involving four cars occurred further back in the field, triggering another Safety Car.
The race was neutralised once again while the cars were cleared and the circuit made safe. Both Ferrari drivers returned to the pit lane for another tyre change, with the four drivers ahead doing the same. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton remained fifth and sixth.
Racing resumed three laps later, leaving 13 laps to the chequered flag and another opportunity to attack. The Ferrari drivers were relatively cautious, preferring not to take excessive risks that could compromise the points already within reach.
Kimi Antonelli had meanwhile recovered to seventh and was clearly looking to pass both Ferraris. On the following lap, Oscar Piastri made a major mistake, braking far too late for Turn 1 and being forced down the escape road. That promoted the Ferraris to fourth and fifth.
George Russell, Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar began opening a gap ahead, leaving Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to defend against Kimi Antonelli. The straight-line and energy-deployment differences that shaped those battles can also be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison.
A flat finish for Ferrari
Charles Leclerc had more pace than his teammate and gradually built a gap of several seconds, while Lewis Hamilton desperately tried to fend off attacks from the number 12 Mercedes. He succeeded for several laps before eventually being forced to give way to the superior pace of the Silver Arrow.
Kimi Antonelli then set off after the other Ferrari. While Lewis Hamilton had little choice but to accept the situation, Charles Leclerc became much more active over the radio.
A sustained exchange followed, with the pit wall offering a series of suggestions on how to manage the car and maintain sufficient balance to protect fourth place. Kimi Antonelli was pushing as hard as possible, but Charles Leclerc’s pace remained solid enough. The gap stood at more than three seconds, and the Monegasque managed it across the final five laps to secure fourth place.
Ferrari could hardly have extracted much more from the race. The power unit limitation was simply too evident to achieve a stronger result. The consolation was another haul of points, although the awareness that the championship challenge had effectively ended some time ago continued to weigh heavily.
Seven Grands Prix remain, and Ferrari would now appear well advised to direct an increasing share of its attention towards next year’s car after another 2026 weekend in which defending proved easier than genuinely fighting at the front.
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