Hamilton to Apologise After Botched Ferrari Team Order
So, here’s what happened at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that has everyone talking. Lewis Hamilton, now driving for Ferrari, found himself in an awkward spot with teammate Charles Leclerc. The drama unfolded right at the end of the race, and it all came down to a misjudged position swap that didn’t go quite as planned.
Earlier in the race, Ferrari had made a strategic call. Hamilton was on fresher, softer tyres compared to Leclerc, so the team asked Leclerc to move aside around Lap 43. The idea was simple: let Hamilton go after the cars ahead, and if he couldn’t make progress, the place would be handed back to Leclerc. That’s a pretty standard arrangement in Formula 1 team strategy.
Hamilton did push forward, but he couldn’t make the move stick on Lando Norris for seventh. So, by the final lap, Ferrari’s pit wall told him it was time to give Leclerc his position back. His race engineer even spelled it out clearly: Leclerc was one and a half seconds behind, and this was the last lap, so let him through before the chequered flag.
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Now, this is where it all got messy. Hamilton said he received the instruction very late, while he was completely focused on the car ahead. Even though there was basically no chance of overtaking, he admitted he was still in attack mode. He lifted off the throttle, he even braked a little on the straight, but it wasn’t enough. Leclerc missed the chance to pass him by less than half a second, and Hamilton crossed the line in eighth instead of ninth.
After the race, Hamilton owned up to it. He said it was a simple misjudgement on his part and promised it wouldn’t happen again. He also made it clear that he’d apologise to Leclerc, downplaying the impact by saying, “At the end of the day it’s just eighth and ninth.”
Leclerc, on his side, was calm about the whole thing. He acknowledged that the swap hadn’t been handled according to Ferrari’s usual rules but brushed it off, pointing out that eighth or ninth place didn’t really make much difference. What mattered more to him was how they would handle these situations in the future—especially if the stakes are higher and they’re fighting for podiums instead of minor points.
Ferrari’s team boss, Fred Vasseur, also backed up the logic of the original switch. He said giving Hamilton the chance to use his tyre advantage was the right call, even if it didn’t pan out. As for the failed swap back, Vasseur accepted Hamilton’s explanation that it was simply a misjudgement near the finish line.
So, while this wasn’t a headline about a win or a podium, it was another reminder of how delicate team orders can be in Formula 1. For Hamilton, the race still carried some positives—he’d started twelfth, moved forward, and felt happier with the car. But for Ferrari, the bigger question will be how smoothly their two star drivers can cooperate when the fight is for bigger points, not just eighth or ninth place.
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