Charles Leclerc returned Ferrari to the front row in Baku, but second place does not tell the full story of the SF-26’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying performance. Kimi Antonelli’s mistake opened the way for George Russell to take his fifth pole position of the season and the first of his career in Azerbaijan, while Ferrari remained a long way from the benchmark despite a major overnight improvement.
As anticipated after Thursday’s running, the 8.5 MJ recharge limit heavily favoured Mercedes, whose power unit could comfortably reach that threshold. Only Kimi Antonelli’s error prevented Toto Wolff’s team from locking out the front row. The Italian could now potentially start from the back with a new power unit, as happened at Monza, while George Russell executed qualifying perfectly and combined a mistake-free session with an ideal tow on his final attempt.
Charles Leclerc’s second place therefore helps disguise the scale of Ferrari’s deficit. The Monegasque secured a place alongside George Russell on the front row, but the Baku qualifying result also showed how much performance the SF-26 still lacks compared with the W17. Ferrari transformed the car between Thursday and Friday, yet, as in practice, it still failed to generate enough grip through the middle sector.
The only cars able to approach George Russell’s grip level were the two Red Bulls, although Max Verstappen was hindered by a battery problem. Isack Hadjar and Max Verstappen, however, paid a significant price on the straights, an issue that could become particularly costly when fighting other cars in the race.
Ferrari keeps a stiff SF-26 compromise as Lewis Hamilton loses out on track position
Thursday’s analysis highlighted how the 8.5 MJ recharge ceiling strongly benefits teams with a power unit capable of reaching that limit comfortably. It was therefore no coincidence that Mercedes and McLaren, separated by only around three tenths overall on the straights, were by far the strongest cars through Baku’s acceleration zones.
Ferrari corrected its direction after a disastrous opening day, but its approach still appears to have favoured a stiffer car than Mercedes in an attempt to limit the damage on the straights. The improvement through the corners was obvious compared with Ferrari’s best FP2 lap, while the data relative to the other leading teams also indicates that Maranello settled on a compromise intended to provide more grip in the middle of the corners. That development follows the questions already raised over Ferrari’s Baku set-up direction after the opening day.
The other side of that compromise is a loss of performance on the straights with less rigid settings, although Ferrari unquestionably recovered competitiveness overnight. The major efficiency difference between the SF-26 and W17 means Ferrari’s engineers cannot simply follow the same direction as Mercedes.
Monza demonstrated that on circuits dominated by long straights, being able to attack and defend during the race can matter almost as much as outright pace once the lights go out. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton are therefore likely to face difficult battles, particularly against Mercedes-powered cars, despite Ferrari’s attempt to make the SF-26 as competitive as possible through the high-speed sections. The recorded differences can also be explored through the F1 Top Speed Comparison.
Charles Leclerc maximises Ferrari’s potential as Lewis Hamilton misses the tow
Charles Leclerc returned to the front row for the first time in several months, having last started there at Silverstone, on a circuit that has consistently brought out some of his best performances. Although his Baku lap was not at the level of some of his previous qualifying displays at the venue, it was an excellent effort in a season in which the nature of the regulations, among other factors, has made it much harder than usual for him to put together the perfect single lap.
With the SF-26 proving extremely difficult through the technical sections, Charles Leclerc was nevertheless among the strongest drivers through Baku’s old city section alongside George Russell and the Red Bulls. There was little more either Ferrari driver could have extracted from the car in qualifying, although Lewis Hamilton’s tow played a significant role in the roughly half-second gap between Charles Leclerc and George Russell.
The difference between the two Ferrari drivers in the corners was just under two tenths, generated mainly during the first half of the middle sector. The remainder came on the straights. Lewis Hamilton’s track position helped Charles Leclerc gain more than three tenths through the tow, while the seven-time world champion had nobody ahead to provide the same benefit.
“Once we got to Q3, they changed strategy: instead of doing two attempts, we waited. Since I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody in front of me,” Lewis Hamilton admitted.
This weekend it was Lewis Hamilton’s turn to choose Ferrari’s running order, and the decision was to leave the garage ahead of Charles Leclerc. Ferrari expected more rivals to follow a similar strategy, but the other teams changed their approach in Q3, leaving Lewis Hamilton without a tow and ultimately costing the Briton a position.
The difference between the two Ferrari laps also underlined how much the SF-26’s performance depended on individual parts of the circuit. Ferrari’s overnight gains improved the car through the corners, but the SF-26 telemetry comparison in Baku had already exposed how difficult it was to balance cornering performance against efficiency on the long straights.
Mercedes efficiency leaves Ferrari, Red Bull and McLaren with little answer
Before qualifying, the expectation was that Red Bull and McLaren might be able to challenge Mercedes for different reasons and at different stages of the weekend. The final picture was far less encouraging for Mercedes’ rivals. The efficiency of the Mercedes W17, combined with the excellent power unit developed at Brixworth, created a package that proved extremely difficult to beat on a circuit such as Baku.
No team in Azerbaijan found a comparable blend of grip and efficiency. Mercedes was able to establish a strong compromise through the middle sector without surrendering its advantage once speeds climbed beyond 200 km/h. That strength could also become decisive if anyone attempts to challenge George Russell at the front or Kimi Antonelli as he works his way through the field.
Red Bull fades after strong Thursday as Max Verstappen hits battery trouble
After an excellent opening day and another competitive showing in the morning, Red Bull faded at the decisive stage of qualifying. Isack Hadjar produced a strong session on his return from injury, but it was not enough to finish ahead of Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri, while Max Verstappen encountered several problems, particularly in Q3.
“Throughout qualifying the engine wasn’t working well. Compared with my team-mate, I was already half a second slower on the straights. Then in Q3, when I wanted to push on the second lap, suddenly the battery wasn’t charged anymore,” Max Verstappen complained.
After abandoning the lap because of the depleted battery, Max Verstappen was unable to recover the necessary tyre temperature and could not improve his best time. With the required laps available, it is likely that Max Verstappen would at least have been able to fight for a place on the front row.
Red Bull’s race will therefore be particularly interesting to follow. Its chosen compromise appears to favour grip through the middle sector rather than straight-line speed, making its ability to defend and overtake one of the key questions for Sunday.
McLaren loses time in the corners but retains an important race advantage
McLaren’s difficult Thursday had already suggested that qualifying could prove challenging, and the session partly confirmed those concerns. Unlike Ferrari and Red Bull, most of the gap between the MCL40 and W17 was generated in the corners, where McLaren had expected to make a further step with its Azerbaijan upgrade package.
Mercedes’ superiority was primarily the result of an efficiency advantage that hurt Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris more than any of the other leading teams, although the Brixworth power unit helped keep Andrea Stella’s squad in contention. Oscar Piastri’s Q3 mistake damaged his final result, but throughout the session Lando Norris had appeared to possess a slight pace advantage over his team-mate.
Overall, however, McLaren being the least compromised of Mercedes’ pursuers on the straights should provide a tangible advantage in the race. Seriously challenging Mercedes may be beyond reach, but the encouraging signs from McLaren’s newly introduced package remain a positive outcome from the weekend so far.
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