Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur admitted that the Scuderia has “a lot of work to do” after an underwhelming opening day of Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice in Baku. Charles Leclerc finished fourth and Lewis Hamilton fifth, but the positions themselves were less concerning than the size of Ferrari’s deficit to George Russell’s Mercedes, which exceeded one second.
Max Verstappen also finished ahead of both Ferraris in third, with the Red Bull driver around three tenths faster than Charles Leclerc. Although Frederic Vasseur initially responded to Mercedes’ advantage with his customary humour, his more detailed assessment made clear that Ferrari was not satisfied with the SF-26’s balance and needs to make progress before qualifying.
Ferrari over a second behind Mercedes in Baku
Ferrari’s fourth and fifth places left the team facing an important overnight task, particularly given how strongly Mercedes performed in Baku. The early gap also follows the questions surrounding the SF-26 before the weekend, when Ferrari was already facing a potentially difficult Azerbaijan Grand Prix outlook.
Asked by The Race about Mercedes’ highly competitive pace, Frederic Vasseur initially tried to play down the importance of the timesheets with a joke.
“I’m getting too old to pay too much attention to Friday,” the Ferrari team principal said.
When it was pointed out to him that it was technically still Thursday, the Frenchman smiled and replied: “And if Friday is already useless, imagine Thursday…”
The joke reflected the usual caution surrounding Formula 1 practice results, where fuel loads, power-unit modes and run programmes can significantly alter the competitive picture. The complete evolution of practice pace during the weekend can also be followed through the ScuderiaFans F1 Practice & Long-Run Analysis.
Frederic Vasseur says Ferrari must fix its balance
Speaking to F1TV, however, Frederic Vasseur offered a more concrete assessment of Ferrari’s Thursday and acknowledged that Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton had not been comfortable with the car.
“I think it’s always a difficult day to assess, and this time even more so. On a track like this, every performance parameter – such as fuel and engine – has a much greater impact. The drivers were not very happy with the balance and that means we will have a lot of work to do tonight to find a good solution for tomorrow.”
Finding the right compromise is particularly important around the Baku City Circuit, where the long flat-out sections coexist with slow corners and traction zones. Ferrari entered the weekend knowing that the unusual layout would provide an important test, particularly after the FIA identified the key straight-mode zones for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Vasseur refuses to draw conclusions before Baku qualifying
Frederic Vasseur consequently remained extremely cautious when asked to assess Ferrari’s prospects for qualifying. The Frenchman also pointed to McLaren as evidence that the practice classification might not reveal the complete competitive picture, with the Woking team showing speed without putting together a representative lap.
“McLaren was very fast and never completed a lap. So it’s difficult to assess. We will need to make use of the slipstream and avoid being stuck in the middle of the group. Baku is difficult. If we look at last year, we were in very good shape and finished qualifying 10th and 11th. Let’s focus on what we have to do and try to give our best.”
Ferrari therefore heads into the final preparations for qualifying without a definitive picture of how large its real deficit is, but with a clear priority. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton need a better-balanced SF-26 if the Scuderia is to close the gap to Mercedes and put itself in a stronger position during one of the most unpredictable qualifying sessions of the season.
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