Ferrari suffered a painful defeat at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After a dramatic qualifying round, Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc only managed to secure the eighth and ninth positions, respectively. Despite strict team orders, the British driver failed to yield the eighth position to his teammate. Ferrari team boss Fred Vasseur attributes this to a miscalculation on Hamilton’s part, but his primary concern is the team’s dismal performance on Saturday.
Lewis Hamilton, who initially trailed behind Charles Leclerc, was given the opportunity to overtake his teammate and challenge Lando Norris, thanks to fresher tyres. However, the seven-time world champion failed to outmaneuver his compatriot and had to relinquish his position back to Leclerc. Hamilton complied with the team’s orders and eased off in the final meters. Yet, he still crossed the finish line ahead of Leclerc. Was there confusion within the team?
“No,” responded Vasseur after the race. “For us, it was very clear that Hamilton had better tyres, which would allow him to overtake Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda, and Norris. Leclerc had a poor restart behind the safety car, so swapping both drivers was the best option for us. We then asked them to switch back, but all signs point to Lewis misjudging the position of the finish line.””In retrospect, both Leclerc and Hamilton were content with the outcome – their main concern was Ferrari’s lack of pace on Saturday. Vasseur also focused on the qualifying, as well as Leclerc’s engine trouble. “The pace was okay today,” said the Frenchman. “The real problem was Charles’ engine. He didn’t lose half a second per lap, but it was enough to prevent him from overtaking. Ultimately, the conclusion is clear: we lost it on Saturday. We started behind Norris, and that’s where we ended up. It is what it is. In the free practice sessions, we had our sights set on pole position, but in the end, we ended up in P10 and P12.”
