Lewis Hamilton was left frustrated after qualifying sixth for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the Ferrari driver questioning how Q3 was managed after the team changed its original plan. Hamilton finished 1.3 seconds behind pole-sitter George Russell and around half a second behind Charles Leclerc, who secured second place after benefiting from a tow provided by his team-mate.
The result completed a contrasting qualifying session for the two Ferraris. While Charles Leclerc put the SF-26 on the front row, Hamilton will start from sixth after a final phase in which he felt Ferrari’s revised run plan and the absence of a slipstream compromised his chances of improving further.
Lewis Hamilton calls Baku qualifying another difficult session
Speaking to Sky Sports UK after qualifying, Lewis Hamilton admitted he was disappointed with his Friday in Azerbaijan and did not sound particularly optimistic about what Ferrari could achieve in the Grand Prix.
“It was a pretty bad qualifying, once again. And not because we didn’t try,” Hamilton said. “Q1 and Q2 were pretty okay, or at least Q1 was decent. In Q2 we struggled more.”
The seven-time world champion had shown enough pace earlier in the session to remain comfortably in contention, but the decisive Q3 phase did not unfold as he had expected. The complete session produced a front-row start for Leclerc but only sixth for Hamilton, with the full Baku qualifying result highlighting the sizeable gap to Mercedes.
Hamilton says Ferrari changed its Q3 plan
Hamilton appeared particularly unhappy with Ferrari’s approach in the final part of qualifying. According to the British driver, the team moved away from the plan to complete two runs, leaving him waiting instead.
“When we got to Q3 they changed the plans. Instead of doing two runs, we ended up waiting,” Hamilton explained. “And because I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody in front of me, and not having the tow made the difference.”
The absence of a slipstream was especially costly at Baku, where the long final straight makes track positioning an important part of qualifying. Lewis Hamilton had earlier provided Leclerc with a tow, but when his own decisive attempt arrived, there was no car ahead to offer the same aerodynamic benefit.
Straight-line speed leaves Hamilton cautious for the race
The Briton also indicated that he does not expect an easy recovery in the Grand Prix. Mercedes had demonstrated a clear advantage in qualifying, with George Russell taking pole while Ferrari was unable to match its rival’s speed on the straights.
“We couldn’t compete with Mercedes, they are simply much faster than us on the straight. They did a great job,” Lewis Hamilton added. “Tomorrow it will be difficult to overtake the Mercedes-powered cars, but I will give it everything.”
That leaves Lewis Hamilton facing a difficult race from the third row, while Ferrari’s strongest opportunity at the front rests with Charles Leclerc from second on the grid. The contrast between the two qualifying outcomes also underlines how much execution, track position and slipstreaming mattered during the decisive moments of Q3 in Baku.
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