Hamilton ‘shocked’ as Ferrari tyre call ends Baku qualifying early

In a rollercoaster qualifying session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on Saturday, Lewis Hamilton was left reeling after a shock Q2 elimination at the Baku City Circuit.

The seven-time world champion, who had been eyeing a pole position battle, cited a costly tyre strategy misstep from his Ferrari team which left him stranded on worn softs in the second segment of qualifying while rivals capitalized on fresher rubber.

With multiple red flags turning the session into a wild ride, Hamilton’s early exit was a bitter pill for the F1 veteran who had been in scintillating form all weekend.

Tyre Blunder Derails Hamilton’s Charge

Hamilton’s pace had been electric heading into qualifying, with the Brit topping FP2 and securing a top-four spot in final practice. The Ferrari charger was brimming with confidence, believing he was in the hunt for pole.

But a critical misjudgment by Ferrari in Q2 left him high and dry. While teammate Charles Leclerc ran fresh medium tyres for his final run, Hamilton was stuck on used softs, a decision that proved disastrous.

“Honestly, I’m so disappointed. Yesterday the car was feeling good but today there was a direction that we ended up going which on paper looked like it was the best place to be,” Hamilton told Sky Sports post-session.

“Our pace had been good, we were progressing and I was feeling really on it, I didn’t make any mistakes, didn’t go down an exit road, it was just that we didn’t have the right tyre underneath us.”

The tyre mismatch was compounded by an earlier setback in Friday’s second practice.

“Everyone ahead of me basically had the medium tyre on and I lost a medium tyre in P2 due to run-time schedules and that put me on the back foot,” Hamilton explained.

Despite pleading for fresh tyres, his request was overruled.

“Yeah [I did], but the choice wasn’t taken to use it,” he said. “I wanted to do but they said that the warm-up was too long or something like that so we ran out of time and out of fuel, so not great.”

Hamilton’s final Q2 effort saw him improve, but it wasn’t enough to break into the top ten, leaving him languishing in 12th alongside Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso on Sunday’s grid.

The session, disrupted by red flags from incidents like Oliver Bearman’s suspension failure at Turn 2, offered little room for recovery.

A Weekend of Promise Derailed

Hamilton’s disappointment was palpable, given Ferrari’s strong showing throughout the weekend.

“We will take it internal and as I said there has been lots of positives this weekend and I’ve really felt on it,” he said.

“I honestly thought I was going to be shooting for pole today and so it’s come as a bit of a shock. I will take it on the chin and keep trying.”

• Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Qualifying results

Ferrari’s woes weren’t limited to Hamilton. Leclerc, a four-time Baku pole-sitter, also faltered in Q3, crashing at Turn 16 and settling for 10th.

With Red Bull’s Max Verstappen snatching pole ahead of Williams’ Carlos Sainz and Racing Bulls’ Liam Lawson, Ferrari’s hopes of a podium finish in Baku look seriously compromised.

The sting of a missed opportunity lingers, with Ferrari’s tyre gamble proving a costly lesson in a session defined by chaos and fine margins.

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