Red Bull’s recent chassis overhaul gave it a clear lead over Ferrari and McLaren at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, a gap reflected both in qualifying standings and race pace.
Each team entered Baku carrying significant aerodynamic updates, focusing on sidepods, floor and diffuser. McLaren’s package also carried a redesigned engine cover, re‑worked rear suspension and a fresh rear wing, while Red Bull rolled out new mirrors and a halo system. Ferrari chose to race with its original setup, only retaining the ADUO2 power unit on the #16 car.
Charles Leclerc punched the front row, edging Oscar Piastri by a hair — 0.001 seconds — and Isack Hadjar by 0.137 seconds. Despite that, he dropped to fifth early in the race, ultimately finishing fourth after a late misstep by Piastri entered Turn 1 and a crash by Kimi Antonelli sent the 16th‑start man through the pack.
Leclerc admitted the start was “a bit of a boring race for us” and that a “bad start…was probably the only thing we could have done much better.” He added that “in the straight line we are too slow” and that “we are just struggling with raw pace.” He also singled out the Red Bull drivers and George Russell for their superior speed.
Lewis Hamilton offered little commentary, dismissing the question of whether Ferrari had the fourth‑fastest car with a flat “What’s the importance of that?” When pressed about Red Bull’s surprising pace, he maintained that he “doesn’t really think about anybody else.”
Leclerc emphasized the need to react promptly to the upgrades gained by rivals. “They have grown recently, they did a step forward that we didn’t do,” he said. “And we must react, because losing some pace now is going to be very difficult to take it back.” He hinted that Ferrari has “a few things coming” that could close the gap, though budget caps and aerodynamic limits still impose stiff development restrictions.
As the season progresses, the engineering battlefield will likely intensify, with each team weighing the balance between immediate gains and long‑term competitiveness.
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