Lewis Hamilton says he will apologise to Charles Leclerc over botched Ferrari position swap during Azerbaijan GP | F1 News
Lewis Hamilton says he will apologize to Charles Licerk after his failure to implement the Ferrari team’s order to return a position to his teammate at the end of the Grand Prix of Azerbaijan.
On an easy weekend for the Italian team, the LeClerc Hamilton allowed the eighth position with seven rolls to give the world champion seven times the opportunity to use his fresh tires to hunt cars in the foreground.
The key was made to understand that Hamilton will return the situation to LCLERC if he did not succeed in his attempts to progress, but the British failed adequately slowing the path of volatile flag and ended before LCLERC.
Hamilton said: “First … it’s clear that I was faster [in that moment of the race] But Charles was generous to allow me.
“In the end, I received the message really late, and I was like a car in front of me, although there is an opportunity like 0.0001 % to pass, I am still optimistic perhaps.
Basically, it was raised in a row, and I actually did the brake, but it missed it like four tenths.
“It was just a miscalculation of myself. I will apologize to Charles. At the end of the day [only] Eighth and ninth.
LECLERC: The rules may not have been respected by Hamilton
Leclerc insisted that the accident was not overly disturbed by the lack of importance to the difference between eighth and ninth, but he wondered whether Hamilton had “respected” the team’s rules.
Leclerc said Sky SPORTS F1: “Frankly, for P8 or P9, it will not be a big point of discussion. I don’t really mind.
“It is clear that these things that we agree on between us and the general rules of how we want to work whenever there is a swap.
“It didn’t happen, and that’s good. It is not as if you were happier in P8, so don’t mind.”
Speaking to the media written in Baku, Leclerc added: “I mean, there are rules we know that we must work with. Today, these rules may not have been respected.
“But, again, P8-P9, P9-P8, this is more clearly, if we are fighting for more sexual positions, and I hope it is so, then I hope to work in a different way.”
“Louis had bad judgment”
Ferrari Farid Vasuor team manager insisted on replacing drivers “the best choice” for the team’s attempts to achieve the best possible result.
Hamilton closed a triple battle in the fifth place between Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Lando Norris, but they will eventually need a movement between the trio in front of him to have an opportunity to put the ground.
If Lwson was approved by Tsunoda and Noris, Hilmon may have a good opportunity to pass the Tirang race driver, but Red Bull and McLaren were also new tires.
“I think the situation was clear to us,” Vasour said. “We asked Charles to allow him to leave to try to overcome the Tsunuda and Lucun.
“Charles was a problem with [energy] Recovery and not at the top with the engine.
“I think this is the best option for us to do this step.”
As for the failure to restore their positions, Vasseur accepted Hamilton’s interpretation.
He added: “We asked for the exchange again and it seems that Louis was suffering from a miscalculation in the position of the starting line/end.”
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2025-09-21 15:30:00





