The pre-race excitement was completely wiped out by a disappointing weekend. At the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Ferrari spectacularly failed to meet expectations. The Scuderia had arrived in Baku with confidence, aiming to fight at the front and achieve significant results, hoping to even secure their first win of this underwhelming season. Up until qualifying, these forecasts had been on track, but they fell apart in Q2. Following a familiar pattern, the SF-25 regressed compared to Friday, and due to errors from both drivers and the team, ended up with a lackluster qualifying session that set them up for a recovery race, ideally aiming for a podium finish.
During the race, once again, the car did not meet expectations. Lewis Hamilton crossed the finish line in eighth place, while Charles Leclerc finished ninth—an extremely disappointing haul, with neither driver ever in the technical condition needed to mount a comeback.
High disappointment
Moreover, the SF-25 was not only underperforming, but it also lacked any real strengths. It struggled with both traction and top-end speed, proving slower not only than Red Bull and McLaren but also falling behind competitors like VCARB, Williams, and Mercedes. In Baku, Ferrari was effectively the sixth-strongest team on the grid, even losing second place in the championship standings to Mercedes. Beyond that, the team led by Frédéric Vasseur likely squandered one of its last realistic chances to win a race, similar to other top teams, during an already disastrous season. The only bright spot for the Scuderia was Lewis Hamilton’s impressive race—the best of his season—allowing him to match Charles Leclerc’s performance and even finish ahead of him. This occurred despite the team requesting Leclerc to cede position to Hamilton to give the seven-time world champion a chance to attack the group of Lando Norris, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda, maximizing the points haul for Ferrari.
Was there a mistake?
The controversy centered on this team order near the race’s end. Ferrari’s pit wall had instructed Charles Leclerc to let Lewis Hamilton pass, aiming to maximize points for the Constructors’ Championship. The condition was that if Hamilton failed to mount a successful attack, Leclerc would regain his original position after the maneuver. Despite Hamilton’s attack failing, he still finished the race ahead of Leclerc, disobeying the pit wall’s instructions. The likely cause was a misjudgment related to a late communication from Hamilton’s race engineer, given that the gap between the two drivers was very small. While minor, this issue adds tension to an already strained environment after a difficult three days in Azerbaijan and an overall challenging season, which is defined by far more significant problems than these small skirmishes.
Radio exchanges reveal the confusion
To fully understand the dynamics of this controversial finish, here are the radio communications between the Ferrari pit wall and the two drivers:
- Bozzi to Leclerc: “Hamilton will let you pass on the final straight. We’ll give you the position back at the end of the lap to allow Lewis to attempt his final attack.”
- Adami to Hamilton: “You can let Leclerc through, he’s 1.5 seconds behind you. It’s the last lap.”
The failed execution of this team order highlights Ferrari’s ongoing struggles with both strategy and performance, emphasizing how even small communication errors can impact results during an already tough 2025 season.
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