Charles Leclerc has downplayed the late-race drama with Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton in Baku, insisting the bungled position swap for eighth place should not become the “talking point” of an otherwise disappointing Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Leclerc was embroiled in a frantic battle for the lower end of the points-paying positions when Ferrari instructed him to let Hamilton through, with the seven-time world champion on fresher tyres and in better shape to attack the cars ahead.
The customary expectation was clear: if Hamilton failed to make progress, the place would be returned.
But the call to swap back came far too late.
"We will swap back at the end of the lap on the main straight if Lewis doesn't overtake," Leclerc was told on the final lap. "Lewis will let you by on the main straight."
Hamilton did ease off the throttle on Baku’s monster straight – but only in the final few hundred meters, too late for Leclerc to complete the re-pass before the chequered flag. The Monegasque’s frustration was audible.
"I don't really care, it's for an eighth place, so it's okay, he can enjoy that P8," Leclerc snapped on team radio. "It's just stupid because it's not fair, but again, I don't mind, honestly."
In the aftermath, it became clear Hamilton wasn’t the lone culprit. He received the swap instruction late from his engineer, just as he was charging toward the line.
"Let Charles by. He's one and a half behind you. This is the last lap," came the belated message.
Hamilton later admitted responsibility, conceding he was too focused on the cars ahead and failed to register the order in time.
"I was obviously quicker, but Charles was gracious to let me by," Hamilton said. "But 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 did lift on the straight and did actually brake, but we missed it by like four tenths. It was just a misjudgement from myself, so I'll apologise to Charles. It won't happen again."
By the time Leclerc spoke to the media, there had been no chance to debrief with Hamilton or the team, but his annoyance soon gave way to the bigger picture. The Ferrari driver argued the team’s lack of pace – not the position swap mishap – was the true problem.
"There are rules that we know we've got to work with and today maybe those rules were not respected," Leclerc said. "P8 or P9... I don't really care.
“Obviously, if we are fighting for sexier positions, which I hope will be the case, then I hope that we will work in a different way.
"But I don't think this should be the talking point. Unfortunately, we have been very slow all weekend and that's where we should focus on."
Indeed, the swap drama was little more than a footnote in a weekend where Ferrari found itself outpaced not just by Mercedes and McLaren, but also by Williams and Racing Bulls.
Leclerc and Hamilton finished eighth and ninth, while rivals snatched podiums and strong points hauls.
For Leclerc, the real concern is ensuring Ferrari doesn’t become a permanent fixture in the midfield. His message was clear: Baku’s controversy isn’t about team orders, but about Ferrari rediscovering the speed to fight for “sexier positions.”
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