Guenther Steiner has warned Ferrari to “wake up” after a bruising Azerbaijan Grand Prix derailed its push for second in the constructors’ standings. What began with a one‑two on Friday ended in a scrappy weekend of errors and missed opportunities, allowing rivals to seize the initiative.
From promising start to qualifying chaos
Qualifying triggered the slide: Charles Leclerc crashed at Turn 15 early in Q3 and lined up 10th, while teammate Lewis Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 and started 12th. The disrupted grid positions set the tone for a damage‑limitation Sunday.
Race-day miscues
Hamilton finished eighth, Leclerc ninth — but even that order wasn’t as planned. Ferrari intended to re‑swap positions before the flag after strategy had temporarily inverted the pair, yet Hamilton slowed too close to the line and the exchange never happened. Both were beaten by the likes of Carlos Sainz and Liam Lawson as Mercedes logged a double top‑four to flip the standings.
The fight for second tightens
Ferrari has slipped to third amid a three‑way tussle with Mercedes and Red Bull, with just 18 points covering the trio. Steiner believes Red Bull may face the greatest struggles in this scrap and doesn’t expect Verstappen to win “a lot more” races this year — but the message to Maranello is clear: tidy weekends and operational sharpness are non‑negotiable if P2 is the target.
