Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration after finishing only sixth in Formula 1 qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The seven-time world champion called the tyres a 'pain in the arse' and criticised the team's execution as suboptimal.
Hamilton had shown competitive pace in all three free practice sessions, consistently finishing in the top five. However, when qualifying began, he struggled to match the speed of his rivals. He ended up 1.3 seconds behind George Russell, who took pole position. The long straights of the Baku circuit do not suit the characteristics of Ferrari's SF26.
“It's always the question. Every weekend, it's always the question. Whether or not you're able to do a good job or not. And that's just different circumstances. You manage them the best, and sometimes it works for you, sometimes it doesn't,” Hamilton told the media.
One of the factors Hamilton highlighted was the difficulty in getting the tyres to work properly. Although he got a tow in FP3, he had none in Q3. “I had one in P3, and it was six tenths. It's literally just not having people up ahead. As I said, I was weaving to try and save my life, and I still couldn't get these stupid tyres working,” he added.
Hamilton also pointed to Mercedes' dominant pace, which he felt was too strong. Despite giving a tow to his Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc in Q3, the gap to Russell remained eight tenths. This indicates that Ferrari is still far behind Mercedes at this track.
Starting from sixth, Hamilton still has a chance to climb to the podium given Baku's unpredictable nature. However, he hopes for improvements in the tyres for the race. “We've got to bring back some good tyres,” he said.
This disappointing qualifying session is a blow for Hamilton and Ferrari, who are fighting to catch up with Mercedes and Red Bull. The race will be a test of Hamilton's ability to recover from the middle of the grid.
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