Lewis Hamilton is under fire. © APA/afp / SIMON WOHLFAHRT

Hamilton's delicate action: Things are bubbling at Ferrari

After the team order in Baku was ignored, Lewis Hamilton sought an apology from his clearly annoyed teammate.

September 22, 2025

From: dpa/det

On another winless weekend, but with plenty of setbacks, the 40-year-old Briton caused discord within the Scuderia. "I don't really care, it's just about eighth place," said Leclerc. "So it's okay, he can be happy about that eighth place. It's just stupid because it's not fair."

Leclerc had let Hamilton pass earlier in the race at the behest of the Ferrari command center. The seven-time world champion, who still seems somewhat at ease with his new team, had a tire advantage at the time. However, the swap didn't achieve anything else, so Hamilton was supposed to let Leclerc pass again on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This is standard procedure within racing teams.

Hamilton (right) and Leclerc. © ANSA / ALI HAIDER

But Hamilton didn't let Leclerc pass again. He finished eighth. Leclerc, who had crashed into the barriers in qualifying with his Ferrari, finished ninth. In the team standings, Mercedes overtook him by four points, with Red Bull pressing in from behind. Defending champion McLaren leads the field with a huge lead.

Verdict from home: “Continuing disaster”

He had taken his foot off the accelerator but had misjudged it, Hamilton said: "I will apologize to Charles." The day before, however, he had also criticized the racing team's tire strategy after failing to make it into the top ten in qualifying.

In Ferrari's Italian homeland, criticism and ridicule are raining down. The hoped-for "continuous battle" against McLaren, Red Bull and Mercedes until the end has turned into a "continuous disaster," wrote the Corriere della Sera and explained, referring to the famous horse in the brand's coat of arms: "For it seems as if the misfortune for the poor, ailing Cavallino will never end."