Lewis Hamilton expressed his frustration after a disappointing qualifying result at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Ferrari driver blamed the team's strategy execution that left him without a slipstream, as well as struggles with the tyres. He will start sixth, 1.332 seconds behind pole-sitter George Russell.
Hamilton initially showed promise in Q1, edging out teammate Charles Leclerc by a tenth. However, his pace dropped in Q2 and Q3. In Q2 he was 0.257s adrift, and in Q3 the gap widened to 0.495s from Leclerc, who qualified second. "We've been struggling all weekend to get the tyres working," Hamilton said. "Q1 was pretty OK. But in Q2 we started struggling even more with the rear tyres."
Ferrari's decision to switch to a single run in Q3 backfired for Hamilton. He left the pits with no cars ahead, while having to give a tow to Leclerc. "After Q2 they decided to change the run plan and just do one run, which hadn't foreseen the fact that I would come out with no one ahead of me, and just towing Charles the whole time. I was 25 seconds behind George," he explained. "Charles did a really good job. Right at the end I gave him a really good tow all the way to the start line."
Hamilton believes the lack of tow was costly. In FP3 he felt a tow was worth "six tenths", which theoretically could have put him on the front row. "It's literally just not having people up ahead," he insisted. "I was weaving to try and save my life, and I still couldn't get these stupid tyres working. It's such a pain in the arse. We've got to bring back some good tyres."
Despite Leclerc's second place, Hamilton doesn't think Ferrari has the second-fastest car. "Maybe the third-fastest car," he added. "I think Max (Verstappen) has been quicker all weekend, and I don't know what happened to him in the session. It will be hard to overtake any of the cars."
A minor brush with the wall in Q3 added to his woes. When his qualifying was described as a 'perfect storm', he responded flatly, "It happens all the time, so I'm used to it." This was the first time in 2026 he qualified more than a second off pole. Mercedes' Russell dominated with an eight-tenths margin over his nearest rival.
Starting from sixth, Hamilton faces a tough race in Baku. The narrow street circuit makes overtaking difficult. Strategy and tyre management will be key for Ferrari to maximise their result. Meanwhile, George Russell was superior and is a strong favourite to win the race.
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