Lewis Hamilton’s promising weekend unravelled in Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying as tyre strategy and fuel constraints left the Ferrari driver stranded in P12. After topping Friday practice and feeling confident enough to fight for pole, he described the final outcome as “a bit of a shock”.
Tyre calls and fuel timing backfire
Hamilton explained that losing a set of medium tyres in practice left him on the back foot for Q2. Although another medium set remained available, the team could not execute a hot pit stop to switch due to insufficient fuel and long warm-up requirements, leaving him out of sequence while rivals advanced.
'Execution' under review
The seven-time champion pointed to an “execution” issue rather than pace, noting he made no significant driving errors and that the car had felt strong earlier in the weekend. Ferrari will review the decision-making that led to the missed opportunity.
Recovery mode for Sunday
Starting outside the top ten at Baku is far from ideal, but the race’s propensity for drama offers Hamilton a route back into the points — provided strategy and timing fall into place.
