Charles Leclerc expressed his discontent when his teammate, Lewis Hamilton, did not relinquish a position near the Azerbaijan Grand Prix’s conclusion, with Ferrari’s sluggish communication appearing to be the central issue.
Leclerc was contesting with Liam Lawson and Yuki Tsunoda for the fifth spot in the Baku street competition as Lando Norris of McLaren overtook him. Given Leclerc’s older hard tires versus Hamilton’s faster mediums, Leclerc was told to allow Hamilton to pass, as the seven-time world champion seemed better positioned to challenge the cars ahead.
Typically, Hamilton would have been expected to return the position if he couldn’t overtake Norris, and Leclerc was informed towards the end of the final lap to brace for the swap.
“We will exchange positions at the lap’s end on the main straight if Lewis doesn’t overtake,” Leclerc’s race engineer communicated as he entered the final straight. “Lewis will let you pass on the main straight.”
Hamilton did eventually decelerate, but too late for Leclerc to pass him before the finish line, with Leclerc indicating dissatisfaction with his teammate for not executing the swap.
“I’m not overly concerned; it’s merely for an eighth-place finish, so it’s acceptable, he can relish that P8,” Leclerc remarked after his engineer issued an apology. “It’s simply illogical because it lacks fairness, but again, I’m not bothered, honestly.”
The Ferraris were mired in the midfield in Baku
Photo by: Mark Sutton / Formula 1 via Getty Images
Upon closer examination, it appears Hamilton was not entirely responsible for the failed exchange, as the Briton was instructed very late to let his teammate through. “Allow Charles to pass. He’s trailing you by one and a half seconds. This is the final lap,” Hamilton’s engineer conveyed.
By then, Hamilton was already accelerating down the main straight, making it challenging to decelerate adequately in a safe manner. Nevertheless, a remorseful Hamilton accepted responsibility, stating he was too focused on the cars ahead at that juncture.
“I was evidently quicker, and Charles was courteous in letting me pass,” he stated. “However, I received the message quite late and was concentrating on the car ahead, even if there was a negligible chance of overtaking.
“I did lift on the straight and applied the brakes, but we missed it by approximately four tenths. It was simply a miscalculation on my part, so I’ll apologize to Charles. It won’t recur.”
When Leclerc addressed the media promptly after exiting his vehicle, there hadn’t been sufficient time for that dialogue with Hamilton or the team to transpire yet.
Yet, Leclerc’s primary source of frustration was Ferrari’s lack of speed, which resulted in the team securing eighth and ninth positions, on a day when the McLarens encountered difficulties, and teams such as Williams and Racing Bulls managed to outpace one of their cars.
“There are protocols that we understand we must adhere to, and today, perhaps those protocols were not honored,” Leclerc noted, before minimizing the significance of the incident.
“P8 or P9… I don’t particularly mind. Naturally, if we are vying for more appealing positions, which I anticipate will be the scenario, then I trust that we will operate differently.
“But I don’t believe this should be the focal point. Regrettably, we have been notably sluggish throughout the weekend, and that is where our focus should lie.”
