Lewis Hamilton has bemoaned the pace of his Ferrari at Saturday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix, calling for a review into his disappointing weekend.

The seven-time world champion could only qualify sixth on Friday despite Max Verstappen’s engine issues and Kimi Antonelli’s crash, and finished in the exact same spot in Saturday’s race thanks to misfortune befalling both McLaren drivers.

As he intimated in both his radio communications and post-race interview, Hamilton felt that lack of pace keenly throughout the race, complaining of a lack of grip and failure to fire up his tyres on top of the team’s customary lack of straight-line speed.

The team’s struggles weren’t confined to Hamilton alone, with Charles Leclerc finishing in fourth, less than half a second ahead of 16th-placed starter Kimi Antonelli after being another beneficiary of Oscar Piastri’s inexplicable lock-up.

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Hamilton: I was just sliding around

Speaking to race engineer Carlo Santi on the radio after the chequered flag, Hamilton said: “We need to look into why we were so slow today. I had no grip, no front end…anyways…but, thanks for continuing to try guys. Not a great weekend overall.”

Talking a few minutes later to Sky Sports, he added: “It was a pretty bad race from my perspective. I mean, I just didn’t really go anywhere. I couldn’t keep up with the guys ahead, and I was struggling to keep the guys behind.

“Just lacking pace today. Generally through the whole weekend, I just couldn’t get the tyres to work. I weaved and weaved and weaved, but the tyres just wouldn’t switch on.

“In the race, at the end of the first stint, the tyres all of a sudden started to switch on and start working, and I started to do the same time as everyone ahead – or at least a couple of the guys ahead – and then we switched to the next tyre and it wouldn’t switch on the whole last stint of the race, so I was just sliding around.”

Hamilton deflects Horner speculation

He then deflected a question about Christian Horner’s comments linking himself with the Scuderia as the former Red Bull boss widens the net ever further for an F1 comeback and, when asked what Ferrari needed to do going forward, Hamilton said simply: “Keep trying.”

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The battle for pole position takes top billing at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix today (Friday September 25) with a thrilling Qualifying session in prospect.

The streets of Baku will roar with the sound of F1 engines for 60 nerve-tingling minutes as the best 22 drivers in the world battle for grid spots in Saturday’s big race.

The grid will be set 24 hours earlier than usual this year with the entire race weekend schedule moved forward to avoid a clash with Azerbaijan Remembrance Day on Sunday September 27.

Mercedes go into this crucial session as favourites to dominate once again on a circuit which has long straights and demands power.

Kimi Antonelli takes an 81-point title race lead into this weekend, with team-mate George Russell his nearest challenger and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton 101 points away.

At this stage it is very much the 20-year-old Italian’s to lose, but they still do have to run the races. A strong Qualifying session would take him another big step closer to becoming the youngest world champion ever.

We have all the schedule and TV details for you ahead of this afternoon’s session.

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What time is F1 qualifying today?

Qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix takes place today (Friday September 25), starting at 4pm local time (1pm BST).

We’ve converted it to your local timezone where you are, all available in the table below:

Qualifying – Friday September 25, 2026

How to watch 2026 Azerbaijan Grand Prix qualifying live on TV today

As ever, the UK options are Sky F1 for live coverage or Channel 4 for free-to-air highlights, while Apple TV now have the US rights (free trial available).

Local fans can watch the action free of charge on Idman TV.

Where to watch: F1 2026 broadcasters by region

* – A free seven-day trial of Apple TV is available for fans in the US, allowing them to watch the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix for free this weekend.

F1TV Pro also carries coverage of the sport, depending on which territory you are in.

Please note if you click on a product link on this page, we may earn a small affiliate commission.

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Esteban Ocon has admitted he is on the cusp of leaving F1 after admitting he has no deal in place to continue.

Ocon made his F1 debut in 2016 with the now defunct Manor team and aside from one year as a Mercedes test driver in 2019 has been on the grid full-time ever since.

But the Frenchman’s time in the sport could be coming to an end after he revealed that he did not have an F1 seat for 2027.

Right now, the 30-year-old is in his second season with Haas and while refusing to rule out a new deal with the team, he admits to assessing his options elsewhere.

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Esteban Ocon’s uncertain F1 future

Ocon said: “Yes, at the moment I am definitely a free agent for next year.

“There are things in discussion that are out of my control and there are certain topics that are out of my control. So I will keep pushing until the end of the year and see how it goes.”

When asked on the Haas option to stay, Ocon remained coy stating: “Let’s see.”

Ocon has struggled this term, gaining only three points compared to Ollie Bearman’s 18.

More doubt surround Ocon’s future with Haas team boss Ayao Komatsu admitting that he had ‘five drivers’ in mind when assessing the team’s 2027 options.

The front runner at the moment appears to be F3 champion and current F2 title contender Rafael Camara, who has impressed not just Haas chief Gene Haas but also Ferrari, as part of their young driver development programme.

Haas are one of three teams yet to confirm their driver lineup for next year, although the team are likely to keep another Ferrari development driver in Bearman who has impressed in his two years with the team.

Ocon’s F1 career at a glance

After nine races with Manor, Ocon joined Force India for the next two seasons as they merged into the Racing Point, developing a huge intra-team rivalry with Sergio Perez.

Once Lawrence Stroll bought the team though, Ocon was replaced by Stroll’s son Lance, forcing him to take year out as a Mercedes reserve driver.

In 2020, he returned with Renault, staying with them as they became Alpine in 2021, the season where he took his only win after triumphing at the Hungarian Grand Prix.

Ocon left the team under a cloud at before the final race of the 2024 season following a heated rivalry with team-mate Pierre Gaslyand breakdown in relations with the team, before joining Haas for 2025.

Included with his one victory he has four podiums and a fastest lap from the 2024 United States Grand Prix from his 194 grands prix heading into this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

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