Lewis Hamilton's rough day at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix just got worse when you realize even his biggest rival agrees something's seriously wrong at Ferrari. The seven-time world champion crossed the line sixth on Sunday, extending his podium drought to six races and capping off what he's calling his worst stretch of the season. Starting seventh, Hamilton managed to pass Lando Norris early on but simply couldn't keep pace with the charging competition, ultimately losing ground to Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing and Kimi Antonelli along the way.

More F1 news: Russell Dominates Baku to Beat Verstappen as Colapinto Chaos Shakes Up Azerbaijan GP

The real story though is what Hamilton kept complaining about over the radio. He battled understeer for most of the race after requesting specific setup changes before the Grand Prix, but his main gripe was something deeper. Other cars were 'just walking past us' on the straights, Hamilton lamented, and he took particular issue with Ferrari's battery deployment strategy. He questioned why competitors were 'boosting in all the places we're not' and bluntly told his engineer the team's 'deployment schedule sucked'. It was vintage Hamilton frustration, but he had a valid point about raw pace.

More F1 news: Russell Edges Verstappen in Thriller as Antonelli's Lead Shrinks in Baku

Here's the kicker: Verstappen clearly felt the same way. After the race, Red Bull's championship leader told race winner George Russell in parc ferme that Ferrari were weak 'on the straight'. When two of Formula 1's most competitive drivers independently reach the same conclusion about your car's performance, that's a red flag you can't ignore. Charles Leclerc finished fourth for Ferrari, just holding off Antonelli, while Hamilton's desperate message to his engineer summed up the day perfectly. When told to chase more lap time late on, he simply replied it didn't matter because he was 'slow'.

More F1 news: Briatore Names His Top Two Drivers and Lewis Hamilton Isn't One of Them

Hamilton's calling for an investigation into Ferrari's deficit, and honestly, you can't blame him. His last top-three finish came way back at the British Grand Prix in early July, making this current run genuinely concerning. Leclerc acknowledged the problems too, saying the team needs answers about why they were so off the pace. Despite the rough outing, Hamilton holds third place overall thanks to Norris' retirement, but if Ferrari can't figure out their straight-line speed issue soon, his championship hopes could be in real trouble.

Shop the collection: Max Verstappen merch  •  Lando Norris merch  •  Charles Leclerc merch  •  Lewis Hamilton merch  •  George Russell merch  •  Kimi Antonelli merch  •  Scuderia Ferrari merch  •  Red Bull Racing merch  •  McLaren merch  •  Mercedes-AMG merch