Hamilton's refusal to swap places with Leclerc prompts Villeneuve praise
Lewis Hamilton gets Kudos from Villeneuve for disobeying Ferrari team orders. Photo: RacePictures.
A filmmaker with a soft spot for Ronnie Peterson, Gilles Villeneuve, Mika Hakkinen and above all, Tazio Nuvolari and Ayrton Senna, is also a diehard Formula One fan since the age of 4 (mid-90's). An avid researcher of the past of Grand Prix Racing since before it was even named F1, and with a thirst for knowledge of the ins and outs of the actuality of the sport, as well as for the technical aspects that define it, is a member of GPblog since 2023, where he has put his love of racing to good use.
Lewis Hamilton refused to give eighth place back to Charles Leclerc in Baku despite Ferrari’s call, leaving Leclerc frustrated and calling the situation “stupid” and “not fair” over the radio.
Lewis Hamilton finished P8 in Baku, ahead of Charles Leclerc in P9. Photo: RacePictures.
Ferrari asked Leclerc to let Lewis by, but they didn’t need to. Lewis then, on the new tyre, was so much quicker anyway he would have overtaken him.- Jacques Villeneuve
Ferrari had moved Hamilton ahead of Leclerc earlier to let him attack the cars in front on fresher tyres. When that didn’t work, the order came to swap back before the finish line. Hamilton slowed and moved aside, but still crossed the line four tenths ahead of his teammate.
Leclerc was left unimpressed: “I don’t really care. It’s for an eighth place, so… it’s OK. He can enjoy that P8. It’s just stupid because it’s not fair. But again, I don’t mind, honestly. P8 or P9, it’s been a difficult weekend, so…”
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Hamilton apologised after the race, claiming it was a mistake. Jacques Villeneuve sees it differently. “Lewis Hamilton played it well. He played it really well.
"Ferrari asked Leclerc to let Lewis by, but they didn’t need to. Lewis then, on the new tyre, was so much quicker anyway he would have overtaken him. So, the team orders were unnecessary. So, I guess that’s why Lewis didn’t really want to let him by again!”
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Ferrari's team ordered swap mishap fires up talks
Like Jacques Villeneuve, Ralf Schumacher also has an opinion on the matter, albeit a more dramatic one.
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The German believes that relations between Ferrari and Hamilton may be fractured. If this happens to be the case, the former F1 driver argues that the best thing for both Hamilton and the Scuderia is to part ways at the end of the F1 2025 season. Their committment together, however it is understood to last until 2026 with a potential option to extend until 2027.
Schumacher was also left unimpressed with the British driver's criticism of Ferrari following the qualifying session, indicating that Hamilton's inability to get his tyre of choice relies solely on the seven-time World Champion's lack of authority within the team.
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