Lewis Hamilton says he will apologize to Charles Leclerc on an exchange of Ferrari shot during Azerbaijan GP | F1 News
Lewis Hamilton says he will apologize to Charles Leclerc after failing to execute a Ferrari team order to restore a position to his teammate at the end of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
During a disappointing weekend for the Italian team, Leclerc allowed Hamilton in the eighth place with seven lives remaining to give the seven times world champion the opportunity to use his fresher tires to run the cars in front.
The switch was carried out on the understanding that Hamilton would return the position in Leclerc if he fails in his attempts to progression, but the Briton failed to slow down enough on the approach of the checkered flag and finished in front of Leclerc.
Hamilton said: “First … obviously I was faster [in that moment of the race] But Charles was kind to leave me.
“In the end, I had the message very late, and I was like zoné on the car in front of me, even if there were about 0.0001% chance of passing, I was still hoping maybe.
“And fundamentally, I raised the rights, and I actually slowed down, but he missed it to four tenths.
“It was only a bad judgment by myself. I will apologize to Charles. At the end of the day, it is [only] eighth and ninth. “”
Leclerc: Maybe the rules were not respected by Hamilton
Leclerc insisted that he was not too embarrassed by the incident due to the insignificance of the difference between the eighth and ninth place, but wondered if Hamilton had “respected” the rules of the team.
Leclerc said Sky Sports F1: “Honestly, for a P8 or a P9, it will not be a great subject of discussion. I really don’t mind.
“Obviously, these are things that we agree between us and the general rules of the way we want to work whenever there is an exchange.
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Highlights of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix of the Circuit of the City of Baku
“It didn’t happen, and it’s ok. It’s not like I would have been much happier to be P8, so I don’t mind.”
Addressing the media written in Bakou, Leclerc added: “I mean, there are rules with which we know that we must work. And today, these rules may not be respected.
“But, once again, P8-P9, P9-P8, it goes ahead of course, if we are fighting for more sexy positions, which I hope that would be the case, then I hope that we will work in a different way.”
“Lewis had an error in judgment”
Ferrari’s team director Fred Vasseur insisted that the change of drivers was “the best option” for team attempts to achieve the best possible result.
Hamilton closed a three -row battle between Liam Lawson, Yuki Tsunoda and Lando Norris, but he was ultimately likely to need a movement among the trio in front of him to have a chance to make ground.
If Lawson had been adopted by Tsunoda and Norris, Hamilton may have had a decent chance to pass the Bulls of the Bulls of the race, but the Red Bull and McLaren in front of him also had fresh tires.
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Hamilton shakes his head with disbelief while the Ferrari Leclerc teammate takes him out of the T2 at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix
Vasseur said: “I think the situation was clear for us, that Lewis had an advantage of the tires. And we asked Charles to let him go to try to exceed Tsunoda and Lawson.
“Charles had a problem with the [energy] Recovery and we were not at the top with the engine.
“I think it was the best option for us to make this movement.”
As for the failure to restore their positions, Vasseur accepted Hamilton’s explanation.
He added: “We asked to exchange and it seems that Lewis had an error in judgment on the position of the starting / arrival line.”
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