Ferrari F1 star Charles Leclerc in Lewis Hamilton team orders swipe as teammate reveals all

Fred Vasseur, Charles Leclerc, Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari, Monza, Italy, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Charles Leclerc in Lewis Hamilton team orders swipe as teammate reveals all

Hamilton and Leclerc were involved in a messy team swap in Baku

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Tuesday 23 September 2025 19:00

Charles Leclerc had his say on Lewis Hamilton's failure to follow Ferrari team orders at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Ferrari struggled throughout the weekend in Baku, with Leclerc and Hamilton qualifying 10th and 12th respectively, before finishing down in eighth and ninth, with Hamilton ahead of the Monegasque driver.

However, Hamilton’s finishing position should have been ninth, had Ferrari not called team orders and allowed the seven-time champion past his teammate to try and chase down the cars in front.

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The switch was made on the understanding that if Hamilton did not catch the cars in front, he would then hand the place back to Leclerc before the chequered flag.

Yet, the champion failed to slow down enough as he approached the chequered flag, and ended up finishing ahead of Leclerc, who instead had to settle for P9.

Hamilton and Leclerc explain Ferrari team orders fiasco in Baku

"I mean, there are rules that we know we've got to work with. And today maybe those rules were not respected," Leclerc explained to the media.

"But, again, P8-P9, P9-P8, that's more going forward obviously, if we are fighting for sexier positions, which I hope it would be the case, then I hope that we will work in a different way."

However, to Sky Sports, Leclerc appeared less bothered by the incident, and said: "Honestly, for a P8 or a P9 it's not going to be a big talking point. I don't really mind.

"Obviously these are things we agree between us and the general rules of how we want to work whenever there is a swap.

"It didn't happen, and that's ok. It's not like I would have been a lot happier being P8, so I don't mind."

In Hamilton’s interview with Sky, the champion added: "Firstly...obviously I was quicker [in that moment of the race] but Charles was gracious to let me by.

"At the end I got the message really late on, and I was like zoned in on the car in front of me, even though there was like 0.0001% chance of passing, I was still hopeful maybe.

"And basically I did lift on the straight, and did actually brake, but he missed it by like four tenths.

"That was just a misjudgement by myself. I'll apologise to Charles. At the end of the day that's [only] eighth and ninth."

Lewis Hamilton Ferrari Charles Leclerc Azerbaijan Grand Prix