Leclerc finished ninth, just behind Hamilton in eighth at the end of a frustrating weekend for Ferrari.
Baku, Azerbaijan: Lewis Hamilton has apologised to Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc after failing to return a position during the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix — a move agreed upon by the team during the race.
According to media reports, the incident came at the end of a frustrating weekend for Ferrari, whose much-anticipated performance in Baku unravelled into a midfield struggle. Leclerc finished ninth, just behind Hamilton in eighth, despite being told by his race engineer to swap places in the dying moments of the race to allow Hamilton, on fresher tyres, to attack the cars ahead.
Leclerc’s engineer, Bryan Bozzi, reportedly informed him over team radio to swap positions in an attempt to gain a lead.
As Hamilton was unable to make any inroads, the team issued further instructions to swap back at the end of the lap on the main straight.
Hamilton’s engineer, Ricardo Adami, confirmed the message on the last lap.
While Hamilton visibly backed off on the final straight, Leclerc was unable to overtake before the chequered flag, finishing just 0.5 seconds behind.
Hamiltona apologises, says ‘It won’t happen again’
Hamilton addressed the situation post-race, acknowledging his mistake and offering an apology to Leclerc.
“Obviously I was quicker but Charles was gracious to let me by,” he said.
“At the end, I got the message really late on and I was zoned in on the car in front of me. Even though there was like 0.001 per cent chance of passing, I was still hopeful.”
“I did lift on the straight and did actually brake, but missed it by like four-tenths. That was just a misjudgement from myself. I’ll apologise to Charles... But it won’t happen again.”
Leclerc, meanwhile, downplayed the importance of the position. “Honestly for the P8 or the P9, it’s not going to be a big talking point. I don’t really mind,” he said.
“Usually these are things we agree between us and the general rules of how we want to work whenever there is a swap. It didn’t happen and that’s okay. It’s not like I would have been a lot happier being P8.”
Ferrari left frustrated as Championship hopes slip
The team’s struggles in Baku marked another blow in what’s becoming an increasingly underwhelming season. Ferrari entered 2025 aiming to challenge McLaren for the Constructors’ Championship after a strong finish last year. However, persistent issues with the SF-25 have left both Hamilton and Leclerc battling in the midfield.
After a promising showing in Friday’s practice sessions, Ferrari faded over the weekend. Leclerc started 10th after crashing in qualifying, while Hamilton started 12th. Though both drivers made up positions, the team once again failed to break into the top five.
Hamilton, reflecting on his eighth-place result, said he couldn’t really care less.
Ferrari now trail McLaren by a staggering 337 points in the Constructors’ standings, with their form raising increasing concerns heading into the second half of the season.
The next round of the 2025 Formula 1 World Championship takes place under the lights at the Singapore Grand Prix, from October 3 to 5.
(With AP inputs)
Published: 22 Sept 2025, 01:18 pm IST
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