Lewis Hamilton expressed frustration with Ferrari’s approach to Q3 after qualifying sixth for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saying “they changed the plan”.
Hamilton questioned why the team completed only one run of multiple laps at the end of the final knockout stage rather than go out earlier for initial laps, as Mercedes, McLaren and Red Bull with Max Verstappen had done.
The seven-time world champion said his final laps were compromised by having no ‘tow’ from a car in front to aid straight-line speed down Baku’s long main straight. Team-mate Charles Leclerc did have a tow, from Hamilton, by dint of the fact it was the Monegasque’s turn to go out second in final qualifying.
Leclerc qualified second behind dominant Mercedes polesitter George Russell, who topped qualifying by a season-high margin of eight tenths of a second.
Reflecting on his own session, Hamilton told Sky Sports F1: “It was a pretty bad qualifying once again. It’s not for the lack of trying.
“Q1 and Q2 were pretty ok. At least Q1 was pretty decent, Q2 we struggled a little bit more, and then as we went into Q3 they changed the plan.
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Highlights from qualifying for the 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
“Instead of doing two runs we ended up waiting and then because I was ahead of Charles, I had nobody ahead of me on a tow so that was worth quite a chunk in itself.
“But, either way, we couldn’t compete with the Mercedes. They are just outright so much quicker on the straights than us. They did a great job.”
Three of the five cars in front of Hamilton on the grid – Russell and McLaren duo Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris – for Saturday’s race at 1pm run Mercedes engines.
“I think it’s going to be hard to overtake a Mercedes tomorrow,” added Hamilton.
“Keeping up with a Mercedes engine on the straight will be tough but I’ll give it everything I’ve got.”
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Sky Sports F1’s Karun Chandhok is joined by George Russell to watch back his pole-setting lap for the Azerbaijan GP.
Speaking in Ferrari’s post-qualifying press release, team principal Frederic Vasseur said: “We made some significant changes to the set-up and to our approach, and they paid off today.
“George has been very strong since the first lap of FP1, but Charles did a good job to put the car on the front row.
“On Lewis’ side, it was difficult to get a tow because the different run plans made it complicated to synchronise with the other cars. He also brushed the wall on his first lap in Q3, which compromised that attempt, but he recovered well to finish sixth despite not having a tow on his final lap.”
‘We know we have a good race car’ – Leclerc hopes for strong Saturday race
Leclerc, who claimed Ferrari’s first front-row since the Hungarian Grand Prix in July, was pleased with his lap but admitted the gap to Russell was “a lot more than what we expected” despite a challenging Thursday.
“Honestly, it was quite a good lap,” he added. “Lewis was three-four seconds, I think, in front, and I managed to do a good lap at the end.
“But when I see the gap to George, maybe the lap wasn’t good enough.”
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Craig Slater breaks down the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, including why the race takes place on a Saturday, while doing his best Craig David impression!
But Leclerc offered a more optimistic assessment of what he could potentially do from the front row after encouraging long-run pace in practice.
“We’ll try, and we’ll do our best,” said Leclerc. “Whether that’ll be enough, only time will tell.
“But we know that we have a good race car, more often than not better in the race than in qualifying, and I hope that it will be the case again this weekend.”
Vasseur, whose team have claimed no podium finishes in the last four races, added: “Tyre degradation is expected to be very low, which could make track position particularly important.
“We are in a position to score good points with both cars, even if Baku is always unpredictable.”
Sky Sports F1’s Azerbaijan GP live schedule
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Look back at some of the most dramatic moments to have taken place around the Baku City Circuit
Saturday September 26
7.55am: F2 Feature Race 2
10.30am: Grand Prix Sunday: Azerbaijan GP build-up*
12PM: THE AZERBAIJAN GRAND PRIX*
2pm: Chequered Flag: Azerbaijan GP reaction*
3pm: Ted’s Notebook*
*also live on Sky Sports Main Event
Racing on a Saturday! The 2026 Formula 1 season continues live on Sky Sports F1 as the Azerbaijan Grand Prix kicks off a triple-header of races, with the Baku race taking place on Saturday at 12pm (build-up from 10.30am). Stream Sky Sports with NOW – no contract, cancel anytime
