Hamilton ‘can’t quite grasp’ Ferrari problem as he highlights ‘crazy’ Baku deficit

The seven-time world champion endured a difficult weekend in Baku, repeatedly struggling to bring his tyres into the right operating window, finishing the race in sixth.

“For me, all weekend, it was switching the tyres on,” Hamilton explained after the race to the media, including GPblog. “Just all weekend, I don’t think I ever really got the tyres to switch on. And I can’t quite grasp why that is the case with our car.”

Ferrari made changes in an attempt to improve the situation, with Hamilton feeling the issue was slightly better in final practice. However, he said the problem returned in qualifying and continued into the race.

“It was a bit better in P3, and then into qualifying it was a real struggle to switch them on,” he said. “At the end of the first stint, I had the tyres all of a sudden switched on and I had okay pace. But then we got onto the medium tyre and they just wouldn’t work the whole time.”

Hamilton also pointed to the deployment advantage enjoyed by Ferrari’s rivals around the Baku City Circuit, explaining that it made defending into several corners far more difficult than usual.

“These guys just seem to just power, power, power everywhere, which is pretty crazy to see,” Hamilton said.

“You’re having to block into places that you would not normally have to, like Turn 2 or Turn 4 or 5.”

Meanwhile, Hamilton responded to speculation linking Christian Horner to Ferrari as a potential replacement for current team principal Fred Vasseur.

With Ferrari under growing pressure after going five consecutive races without a podium, Hamilton was asked by Sky Sports whether he still considers Vasseur the right person to lead the team. Amid renewed speculation linking Horner with a potential move to Maranello, the seven-time world champion responded with a simple and unequivocal “Yes”.