Ferrari left the Azerbaijan Grand Prix without a podium for the fifth consecutive race, despite Charles Leclerc finishing fourth and Lewis Hamilton sixth in Baku. The result nevertheless delivered an important gain over McLaren in the fight for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, with Ferrari scoring 20 points while its rival collected none.
Not even Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s mistake and the setbacks suffered by Lando Norris and, in particular, Oscar Piastri were enough to put a Ferrari back on the podium after four consecutive Grands Prix without a top-three finish.
Ferrari’s podium drought reaches five races in Baku
The two SF-26 cars ultimately crossed the line in fourth and sixth positions, extending Ferrari’s run without a podium to five races. The outcome was particularly disappointing after Charles Leclerc had secured a place on the front row alongside George Russell in Baku qualifying.
Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur told Sky that the team had spent much of the race defending around the Azerbaijani street circuit. Straight-line performance proved particularly important in Baku, an area that had already emerged as a key limitation for the SF-26 during the weekend and was examined in our Ferrari Baku telemetry analysis.
“We knew we would struggle on a track where straight-line speed matters so much, but we expected more because we were starting from the front row,” Fred Vasseur said. “Instead, at the beginning we were losing one position per lap and there was nothing we could do; we could only defend. The pace was also good, but we couldn’t overtake.”
Fred Vasseur takes one positive from McLaren comparison
Despite Ferrari’s inability to fight for the podium, Fred Vasseur still highlighted one positive from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. In the direct battle with McLaren for second place in the Constructors’ Championship, the weekend produced a 20-0 points swing in Ferrari’s favour.
“We still scored more points than McLaren, even though I know our goal is to win races and fight for championships,” Vasseur said.
The Baku result therefore helped Ferrari in its immediate championship battle, even though the team’s ambitions remain significantly higher than simply finishing ahead of McLaren. The developing comparison between Maranello and its main competitors can also be followed through the Ferrari vs F1 Rivals statistics.
