Akmal Azhar
A Sunday Below Expectations
In Baku on September 21, 2025, Ferrari’s performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix fell short of what the team had hoped for. Lewis Hamilton began the race on hard tyres and immediately made his presence felt by passing Fernando Alonso on the very first lap to slot into tenth. Almost at once, a safety car was called out following Oscar Piastri’s crash, bringing the field together.
Leclerc’s Early Progress
Charles Leclerc, who had started on mediums, seized the restart opportunity by overtaking Lando Norris and Isack Hadjar to move into seventh place. By lap seven, Hamilton used his DRS advantage to pass Hadjar, nudging into ninth. Leclerc’s strategy shifted on lap 20 when he pitted for a fresh set of hard tyres in an attempt to undercut Norris. When he rejoined, however, he found himself stuck behind Lawson for a long stretch, hampered as well by a small power unit issue that cost him pace.
Hamilton’s Mid-Race Strategy
Hamilton made his tyre change on lap 37, switching to mediums, but when he rejoined the race, he found himself behind Leclerc. With ten laps remaining, Norris overtook Leclerc, who was then eighth, and although the team considered swapping positions between the Ferrari drivers on the final lap due to Hamilton having better tyre life, time simply ran out. At the flag, Hamilton finished eighth with Leclerc immediately behind him in ninth.
Hamilton’s Post-Race Reflection
Reflecting on his performance, Hamilton expressed disappointment, noting that while he felt more comfortable in the car and found the balance better, it was difficult to make up ground on cars ahead. He acknowledged that the qualifying session had been key and admitted that execution and setup choices during qualifying were not ideal, leaving the team further back on the grid than deserved. He affirmed that fighting for eighth or ninth did not reflect the team’s true potential and stressed that improving qualifying performance would be the focus in the upcoming weeks, especially in Singapore.
Leclerc’s Frustration
Leclerc agreed that starting position made a huge difference. He observed that tyre strategy separated the frontrunners from those playing catch up: some began on hard tyres, others on mediums, and being part of the faster group made all the difference. His race was compromised by Lawson, who was on a different strategy, and by his own power unit issue. He admitted a mistake in Q3 left him starting from P10, a position he believed was far below what he should be aiming for. With colder temperatures than usual in Baku affecting tyre performance, Leclerc concluded that things might be better in warmer conditions and expressed hope that Ferrari will come back stronger in Singapore.
Team Principal’s Verdict
Team Principal Fred Vasseur expressed his dissatisfaction with the eighth and ninth place finish. He pointed out that starting behind Norris and finishing behind him mirrored the reality of this track, but noted there was more to unpack: Charles’ engine issue, though marginal, affected his ability to overtake on the straights, contributing to his difficulties staying ahead of Lawson. Vasseur’s main regret centered on qualifying—being in P10 and P12 had undermined what he believed was a weekend with stronger pace. While acknowledging noticeable performance improvements since Spa, he emphasized that execution—making the right choices and executing them well—had let the team down when it mattered most.
Zakirin
