Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc ultimately took different aerodynamic directions with Ferrari’s SF-26 in Baku after the seven-time world champion decided the team’s low-drag solution was not giving him the rear stability and traction he needed. Ferrari had arrived at…
Lewis Hamilton rejected Ferrari's low-drag bargeboard setup for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, while Charles Leclerc opted to keep it. Hamilton switched back to a configuration with three vertical elements ahead of qualifying to gain rear stability and traction. Leclerc retained the single-element package to prioritize top speed along Baku's long straight-line sections.
The contrasting aerodynamic choices resulted in Leclerc qualifying second and finishing fourth, while Hamilton qualified and finished in sixth place. Hamilton suffered only a minor top-speed penalty of 340.1 km/h versus Leclerc's 341.9 km/h. Mercedes driver George Russell won the race ahead of Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar.
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