Ferrari’s Azerbaijan GP qualifying turned disastrous
Lewis Hamilton suffered yet another disappointment in what has been a challenging Formula 1 season, this time during qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. Ferrari’s weekend had started promisingly, with Hamilton and Charles Leclerc showing encouraging pace in free practice and looking capable of challenging the McLarens. However, things went wrong in qualifying for car number 44, as the British driver failed to make it through to Q3.
The streets of Baku always pose a major challenge for drivers, and this qualifying session turned out to be particularly tricky due to a series of red flags. Q1 alone was halted three times. Ferrari initially sent Hamilton out on the Soft tyres, before switching to the Medium compound for the second part of the session.
During Q2, Hamilton repeatedly complained about problems with his tyres. Over team radio he explained: “I’m struggling with the rear. Any advice? Please give me a hand.” The seven-time world champion was visibly battling with tyre temperature issues, unable to extract the grip needed on the narrow city circuit.
The session was then interrupted by another red flag, this time caused by Oliver Bearman. When qualifying resumed, Hamilton was unable to secure a strong enough lap time to move into the safe zone. His second attempt also fell short, and the elimination blow came from none other than his own teammate.
This marks the fourth time in the 2025 Formula 1 season that Lewis Hamilton has failed to reach Q3. For the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, he will line up only in twelfth position on the starting grid. To make matters worse for Ferrari, just minutes after Hamilton’s elimination, Charles Leclerc crashed his car into the barriers, bringing an abrupt end to his qualifying session as well. Both Ferrari drivers were therefore knocked out of contention in dramatic fashion, leaving the Scuderia with a qualifying to forget in Baku.
Leave a Reply