Lewis Hamilton can take huge boost after shock F1 podium at Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Hamilton looking grateful in blue Ferrari kit at Italian GP — Photo: © IMAGO

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Lewis Hamilton can take huge boost after shock F1 podium

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was a huge weekend

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Sunday 21 September 2025 15:56 Updated: 18:12

A shock podium at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix can be taken as a huge boost for Ferrari F1 star Lewis Hamilton.

While the seven-time world champion only managed an eighth place finish in Baku, this weekend proved that there is light at the end of the tunnel for Hamilton at Ferrari.

How, I hear you ask?

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Hamilton was knocked out in Q2 during qualifying, he only managed to progress to P8 in the race, and to top it all off the man he replaced, Carlos Sainz, earned his first podium with Williams before the champion at Ferrari.

Granted, Sainz benefitted from a chaotic qualifying session to start second on the grid, but to remain ahead of Mercedes in third is still cause for celebration at Williams.

In fact, Sainz is the first Williams driver to stand on the podium since Lance Stroll at the 2017 Azerbaijan GP, a major turnaround for a team who have endured nothing but misery in the past decade.

So, with the Spaniard receiving all the plaudits, how on earth are Sainz’s celebrations a boost for Hamilton?

Does Sainz’s comeback equate to hope for Hamilton?

Sainz and Hamilton’s 2025 seasons have largely mirrored one another. Both drivers have moved to new teams, floundered in comparison to their team-mates and struggled to adjust in a new environment.

In regards to grands prix results, Alex Albon has largely outpaced Sainz 11-5 and Hamilton has fared similarly, being beaten 12-3 by Charles Leclerc.

Where Albon has been able to regularly make Q3 appearances, Sainz has missed out time-and-time again, posing similarities to Hamilton’s struggle to find pace at Ferrari.

Sainz himself has revealed how challenging this season has been, labelling it as ‘frustrating’ in Hungary and ‘disappointed’ in his results.

The Spaniard has also related to Hamilton’s struggles in this context, and explained how they have both undergone a difficult adjustment period in 2025.

Sainz and Hamilton have both struggled in 2025

“It is extremely demanding and a lot more difficult than what people think,” said Sainz to the media in Miami.

“It makes our life extremely demanding back in the simulator and in the factory trying to learn every possible thing about the car, especially when you have an experienced team mate in the team.

“In this case, [it’s] having Alex [Albon] that knows the car so well, and knows the team so well, so for me to jump in and try to be close to his level is demanding.

“The same will happen to Lewis with Charles, because he knows the team so well. It is very demanding, it is an approach that can take months and, as I said, sometimes it can take a third or half of a year to adapt.”

For Sainz, the trials of this season have been rewarded with a F1 podium, but this should motivate Hamilton rather than compound his misery.

While aided by favourable circumstances, Sainz proved that it is possible to achieve in a car he has had less experience in compared to his team-mate and no role in developing, something Hamilton can also emulate at Ferrari.

In the remaining races, Fred Vasseur has stated it is entirely possible for Hamilton to fight for podium. All the champion has to do is use Sainz’s podium as evidence he can finally achieve this accolade with Ferrari, rather than drawing negative comparisons to the man he replaced.

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