Azerbaijan Grand Prix Qualifying: Hamilton’s Strategy Misstep Leads to Q2 Exit
Lewis Hamilton’s hopes of competing for pole position at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix were dashed when he was eliminated in Q2, ultimately qualifying 12th. The setback has been attributed to a strategic miscalculation involving tire selection during Friday’s practice sessions.
In Friday’s practice, Hamilton set the fastest time, positioning him as a potential front-runner for Saturday’s qualifying. However, during Q2, he was placed on a single set of soft tires for two flying laps, resulting in a time that did not qualify him for Q3, even failing to surpass his earlier Q1 time by 0.395 seconds. In contrast, his teammate, Charles Leclerc, advanced to Q3 by switching to medium tires for his final run, showcasing the effectiveness of that strategy.
Post-qualifying, Hamilton expressed frustration over the tire decision, stating, “The team chose to run me on the medium in FP2. All the top 10 basically had three mediums [except me]. We knew that the medium was quicker – they said by about 0.3s or something like that.” He further explained that a lack of available medium tires due to the team’s Friday program hindered his performance, adding, “Well, you’ve got to get to Q3 first… it was just not the best execution.”
Hamilton also noted that setup changes made by the team contributed to his discomfort in the car during qualifying: “One of the things that kind of factored into it was a bit of a direction the team were pushing for us to go with some of the setup.”
Leclerc’s qualifying session met a premature end when he crashed at Turn 15 while attempting to improve his time in Q3. Despite taking four consecutive poles in Baku prior, he ended up 10th. “Difficult conditions or not, I don’t think that this is the reason. I think we were just lacking a lot of pace,” he said, reflecting on his struggles with the medium tires.
Hamilton, despite the frustration, remains optimistic for the race, noting strong race pace during Friday’s practice: “I’m still going to try and get into the top three. That’s been my goal all week.”
As the drivers head into Sunday’s race, the potential for safety cars and strategy shifts could reshape the outcome, making Hamilton’s determination to advance in the standings a focal point.
