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Lewis Hamilton finished P8 in Baku, ahead of Charles Leclerc in P9. Photo: RacePictures.
F1 News

Montoya breaks down Hamilton's mix-up in troubled Baku GP for Ferrari

08:03, 29 Sep
Updated: 09:50, 29 Sep
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Juan Pablo Montoya commented on the Ferrari episode at the end of the Baku GP, where Lewis Hamilton failed to return the position to Charles Leclerc.
'He wanted him to go side by side. A place up or down doesn’t change anything.'
- Juan Pablo Montoya
As a guest on the MontoyAS podcast, the former Colombian driver shared his thoughts on the incident involving the two Ferraris in Baku: “Of course (it was) a mix-up—the one Oscar didn’t have (referring to Monza episode), there’s the difference. He wanted him to go side by side, and really, a place up or down doesn’t change anything.”
During the race, the seven-time world champion appeared to struggle, repeatedly reaching out to his race engineer over the radio for assistance, with his team radio exchanges sparking debate across social media and online.
Asked if things would be different if Hamilton reunited with Peter Bonnington, Montoya replied: “The conversation would be a little different because he’s saying, ‘I try what I can, test what we have right now. If it’s not working, give me some ideas.’
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Lewis Hamilton eliminated in Baku qualifying in Q2. Photo: RacePictures
"Sometimes ideas don’t have to be the right ones. And the only thing the engineer told him was, ‘The problem is that you’re releasing the brakes wrong.’ That’s what he said. Now I remember—the engineer said, ‘The problem is the brake release.'
"The problem is not the brake release, is that the release is set up for one driver, not the other. So why don’t you see how Lewis drives and adjust the system so it works for him too?
He finally added: “The potential is there, but it comes slower than everyone wants. I think that’s something we really need to look at next year, to see where everyone stands.”

Hamilton apologizes to Leclerc after Baku mix-up

Although the two Ferrari drivers finished the race well outside the points, Charles Leclerc appeared visibly frustrated at the end of the race for not having the position returned at the checkered flag after yielding to let his teammate through when he was faster.
Hamilton immediately addressed the issue over team radio and in interviews, apologizing for his misjudgment and stating that he would also personally apologize to the Monegasque for the misunderstanding.

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