Ferrari arrived in Baku with strong one-lap and long-run pace, but qualifying unraveled amid wind, rain spits and strategy missteps—culminating in Charles Leclerc’s Q3 crash at Turn 15.
When plans met reality
The team split tyre choices in Q2, with mediums and softs in play, only for yellow flags to compromise laps and force resets. Team principal Fred Vasseur said there was frustration at failing to stitch everything together in the changing conditions.
Softs, mediums and a moving target
Vasseur noted wider confusion around compounds, with some comparing this year’s all-new C6 soft to last season’s C5. In the end, pole was taken on softs while competitive laps were also possible on scrubbed mediums—reinforcing that the key was hitting the right operating window rather than the compound itself.
Reset for race day
Leclerc’s crash left Ferrari on the back foot for the start, but confidence in long-run pace remains from practice. Execution and tyre management will determine how far they can recover.
