The Formula 1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku has reached the crucial moment of qualifying, an always decisive session where Ferrari was aiming to continue an impressive streak. The Italian team had in fact taken pole position on this street circuit for four consecutive years, with all of those poles secured by Charles Leclerc between the 2021 and 2024 seasons. The goal was clear: to fight for a fifth consecutive pole position at a venue that has often rewarded skill, bravery and precision. However, this time the challenge was far more complex, especially because Lewis Hamilton also appeared to be in excellent form throughout the weekend. Another decisive element was the tire choice, since the Medium compound available here corresponds to the C5 from Pirelli, which is normally the softest tire in the entire range. On a track like Baku, where grip levels change rapidly and conditions can be unpredictable, this added a further level of difficulty.
Q1 with Soft tires for the SF-25
Qualifying began with conditions that were anything but easy for Ferrari. Strong gusts of wind were noticeable around the circuit, and the track surface, still not fully rubbered in, offered very little grip to the drivers. To complicate matters further, just a few minutes before the green light some drops of rain began to fall, creating additional uncertainty and making the situation even more delicate. All of these factors made it particularly complicated for Ferrari to manage the tire warm-up phase, which is always a sensitive point for the SF-25 single-seater. Both cars, those of Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton, started the session fitted with the Soft compound tires.
Lewis Hamilton immediately ran into difficulties. The British driver struggled with oversteer on the exit of turn 16, a factor that limited traction and reduced the effectiveness of his flying lap. The rest of his lap was relatively clean, but in the middle sector he suffered from understeer caused by a lack of grip. Charles Leclerc, pushing with his typical aggressive driving style, also made some small mistakes in turns 3 and 4, but despite these imprecisions he was able to complete a valid lap. Shortly afterwards, Lewis Hamilton reported over the team radio that the tire temperatures were not in the correct operating window. His race engineer Riccardo Adami confirmed the issue, underlining how complex tire management was proving to be.
The main talking point of the session therefore remained the difficulty in bringing the tires into the correct operating range. This factor severely limited the available grip and compromised single-lap performance. Both drivers consequently decided to return to the pits and wait before attempting a second run. After about six minutes Ferrari sent them back onto the track, this time with a used set of Soft tires.
On their second run, both Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton focused carefully on the warm-up phase, trying to generate as much temperature as possible before pushing flat out. Their laps were good overall, but it was clear that the SF-25 was operating right on the limit of balance. Lewis Hamilton continued to report small losses of traction, which Charles Leclerc also had to manage. The lap times, however, were still sufficient to advance beyond Q1, aided by a red flag triggered by Nico Hülkenberg’s accident.
Compared to the earlier FP3 session, Ferrari showed progress in exactly the areas where improvement had been expected, namely the first and third sectors. In the middle sector, however, the gap in cornering speed remained visible. Charles Leclerc missed the apex at turn 5 and ran wide, losing half a second compared to his best effort. In the end, he finished just over a tenth and a half behind his teammate Lewis Hamilton, a sign that his lap had much higher potential than the final time indicated.
In the closing minutes of Q1, both Ferrari drivers returned to the track once again with the used Soft compound. After the usual outlap to warm up the tires, Lewis Hamilton lifted off in the first sector and reiterated his concerns about the lack of grip. Engineer Riccardo Adami encouraged him to focus instead on the next attempt. Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, managed to improve his lap time by about half a second before returning to the pits. Lewis Hamilton, however, was slowed by double yellow flags, which compromised his effort. Despite the complications, both Ferrari drivers advanced comfortably to the next stage of qualifying. Eliminated from Q1 were Franco Colapinto, Nico Hülkenberg, Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly and Alexander Albon.
Q2 disappointment: Lewis Hamilton eliminated
As Lewis Hamilton returned to the pits, he once again complained about the tires. The seven-time Formula 1 world champion was unable to find a way to extract the maximum from them, and this difficulty appeared to affect him mentally as well as physically. The wait before the start of Q2 was longer than expected, as the marshals had to repair the circuit after both Alpine cars suffered issues. When the session finally resumed, Riccardo Adami instructed Lewis Hamilton to complete a particularly aggressive outlap in order to generate more temperature in the tires.
Ferrari sent both drivers back onto the track, but almost immediately the session was halted again with a red flag. This time the cause was young Oliver Bearman, who was forced to stop on the main straight after making contact with the barriers. The FIA opened an investigation into Charles Leclerc, suspecting that he had not slowed sufficiently under yellow flags, but the stewards eventually ruled that no further action was necessary. When the session restarted, Ferrari opted for different tire strategies: Charles Leclerc was sent out on the Medium compound, while Lewis Hamilton continued on Softs.
Lewis Hamilton’s attempt was quickly ruined by a yellow flag in the first sector, while Charles Leclerc made a mistake in the middle sector and aborted his lap. With the tires cooling down, both drivers had to try again, but Lewis Hamilton continued to struggle with oversteer on corner exits. Although he did complete a flying lap attempt, his time was far below what had been expected.
Charles Leclerc also failed to improve, running wide once again under braking. Tire management remained the main limiting factor, and the Monegasque driver, visibly frustrated, chose to return to the pits. A quick tire change followed, with a new set of Medium tires fitted, but no changes made to the front-end setup. Engineer Bryan Bozzi presented him with two possible strategies: two consecutive push laps or one attempt with a cooldown lap in between.
The Monegasque decided to push immediately and finally managed to set a competitive lap time, just a tenth and a half away from the fastest driver, even though he brushed the wall at turn 2. Lewis Hamilton, however, never found the right rhythm. The unresolved issue with the tires completely compromised his qualifying session, and his Saturday ended there, with elimination in Q2. It was a heavy blow both for his morale and for his position on the starting grid. Alongside him, eliminated were Fernando Alonso, Gabriel Bortoleto, Lance Stroll and Oliver Bearman.
Charles Leclerc crashes like in 2019: session over
In the final part of qualifying, almost all the drivers opted for Medium tires, with the exception of Oscar Piastri who made a different choice. Charles Leclerc concentrated carefully on the warm-up phase, adopting a cautious and deliberate approach in order not to stress the compound too much. The start of his lap looked promising, but then a few drops of rain began to fall once again, complicating the conditions. At turn 15, Charles Leclerc lost the front end of the car and slid into the barriers, ending his session with a crash reminiscent of his incident here in 2019.
For Ferrari it was a deeply disappointing qualifying session, one that left a bitter taste. The potential to fight for the top positions had been there, but it was not fully exploited. Lewis Hamilton finished only twelfth, while Charles Leclerc had to settle for tenth place on the grid. At Baku, overtaking is always possible thanks to the long straights and the presence of DRS, but the recovery mission will be difficult. This result cooled enthusiasm within the team and put an end to Charles Leclerc’s impressive streak of four consecutive pole positions on this track. It was, without doubt, a disastrous Saturday for the Scuderia Ferrari team.
