The recent Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku concluded with an unpleasant aftertaste for the Ferrari team, especially for driver Charles Leclerc. A seemingly minor incident involving team orders left the Monegasque driver visibly furious when his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, allegedly failed to follow instructions, leaving Leclerc behind at the finish line. Although it was only a battle for 8th and 9th place, the events in Baku could be a sign of bigger problems, threatening the stability and unity within Ferrari.

Tense Developments in Baku: From Hope to Disappointment

The early days of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend held much promise for Ferrari. Both Hamilton and Leclerc showed impressive form in FP2, demonstrating strong pace and competitive potential. However, the first cracks began to appear during qualifying. Hamilton failed to advance past Q2, securing only 12th on the grid, while Leclerc was only slightly better at 10th.

When race day began, Hamilton made an impressive charge, gradually finding himself behind Leclerc. It was at this point that Ferrari decided on a strategic move: allowing Hamilton to pass in order to chase down Lando Norris, Yuki Tsunoda, and Liam Lawson, on the condition that he would return the position to Leclerc if he couldn’t overtake his rivals.

Despite his best efforts, Hamilton couldn’t make a breakthrough on the tight, winding streets of Baku, where dirty air and sharp corners make overtaking a nightmare. On the final lap, he deliberately slowed down and even braked lightly in a half-hearted attempt to give the position back to Leclerc. However, Hamilton still crossed the finish line first, just 0.4 seconds ahead of his teammate.

Charles Leclerc’s Sharp Reaction: “The Rules Were Not Respected”

Immediately after the race, Leclerc tried to downplay the significance of the result in the context of a fight for 8th and 9th place. However, he did not hesitate to emphasize that if a similar scenario were to unfold when Ferrari is competing for more significant points, it would be a serious issue.

“I think it was very clear, but at the end, I don’t care for an eighth place,” Leclerc stated bluntly. “I don’t think that this should be the talking point. Unfortunately, we have been very slow all weekend and that’s where we should focus on. P8 or P9, or P9 or P8 is not something that really interests me, so it’s fine.”

When asked if he expected Hamilton to follow team orders, Leclerc replied with a pointed tone: “I mean, there are rules that we know we’ve got to work with, and today maybe those rules were not respected. But again, P8, P9, P9, P8, that’s small. Going forward, obviously, if we are fighting for sexier positions, which I hope it will be the case, then I hope that we will work in a different way. But on a day like that, honestly, I don’t really mind.” These words revealed Leclerc’s deep disappointment, though he tried to remain composed in public to avoid escalating the situation. However, it was clear that his trust in the team’s orders had been shaken.

Fred Vasseur Defends the Team’s Decision

Amid the tension, Ferrari team principal Fred Vasseur spoke out to defend the decision to let Hamilton pass, insisting it was the best option to maximize the team’s result on Sunday. Vasseur explained that Leclerc had been struggling with technical issues, making the position swap a logical call.

“I think the situation was clear for us that Lewis had a tire advantage,” Vasseur said. “And we asked Charles to let him go to try to overtake Tsunoda and Lawson. Charles had an issue with the energy recovery and we were not at the top with the engine. I think that was the best option for us to do this move.”

When it became clear Hamilton couldn’t climb any higher, the team instructed him to hand the place back to Leclerc. Although Hamilton eased off the throttle and even tapped the brakes, he still crossed the line 0.4 seconds ahead. Vasseur later called it “a simple misjudgment” on Hamilton’s part. “We asked to swap back and it looks like Lewis had a misjudgment on the position of the start-finish line,” he said.

The initial idea was simple: let Hamilton attack with the understanding that positions would be restored if he couldn’t make progress. However, as the laps wound down, it became obvious the DRS train was unbreakable. Hamilton had no way past, and Ferrari issued the call to swap back. The move, however, came only in the dying moments of the race, making it difficult to execute.

Lewis Hamilton Admits Mistake and Disappointment

After the race, Hamilton admitted he had been too focused on Norris, saying he was “zoned in” and reacted too late. He acknowledged it was a misjudgment and said he would apologize to Leclerc for the mix-up.

Hamilton, who ultimately finished 8th, did not hide his frustration. The former Mercedes star admitted the race left him disappointed and pointed to his lackluster qualifying as a key factor in the underwhelming result. “A bit of a disappointing result at the end of the day. I did go forward, my pace was generally good. I was flat out. I was definitely much better, much happier in the car,” Hamilton shared. “It was difficult today to close up on what cars are ahead, very fast. Clearly, qualifying is very important and we missed out on that.”

Reflecting further on his weekend, Hamilton added: “I was going long and I hoped there would be some sort of safety car and there was nothing.” He also pointed out that the setup choice and execution in qualifying were not great, which put them in a position to fight for 8th and 9th, instead of a potential 4th and 5th had the weekend been optimized.

When pressed about not returning the position to Leclerc before the checkered flag, the seven-time champion responded: “I was quicker but Charles was gracious to let me by. At the end, I got the message really late on and I was zoned in on the car in front of me. Even though there was like a 0.001% chance of passing, I was still hopeful and I did lift on the straight and did actually brake but we missed it by like four-tenths, so that was just much tougher for myself. I was going to ask Charles at the end of the day.”

Ferrari Must React: A Hard-Learned Lesson from Baku

Following the team orders incident, Charles Leclerc stressed that Ferrari must react after a frustrating Azerbaijan Grand Prix, even though both cars still brought home points. “We’ve got to react, it’s not been a strong weekend at all,” Leclerc said when asked how he and the team move forward.

“It’s always easy to blame the car and I think overall the car this weekend hasn’t been the strongest and it’s been a difficult weekend,” he admitted. Leclerc also took responsibility for his mistakes in qualifying. “I think the main reason and I am the first one responsible for that is the mistake in qualifying. When you start P10 it’s very difficult to change the situation,” he said.

He also pointed out that the Ferrari car struggles in cool conditions, which had been the case since yesterday. Being stuck behind Liam Lawson for the entire race also prevented him from utilizing his pace, turning it into a “boring race.”

What happened in Baku, though a dispute over minor positions, could be a serious warning sign. Leclerc’s patience is wearing thin, and Hamilton knows that such mistakes have consequences. Ferrari needs to address this issue decisively, not only to preserve team morale but also to ensure they can compete more effectively in the future, especially when bigger points are on the line. The relationship between these two veteran drivers, along with the team’s management capabilities, will be a key factor in determining Ferrari’s success this season and beyond.