Lewis Hamilton's patience wore thin when asked about Ferrari's standing in the pecking order following a tough Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The British driver flatly rejected the premise that the Scuderia has dropped to fourth, firing back with a curt 'Why would I agree?' when the suggestion was put to him. It's clear the seven-time world champion isn't ready to accept any narrative that writes off Ferrari's competitiveness, even after a difficult weekend in Baku.

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The reality on track painted a tougher picture, though. Hamilton finished sixth in Azerbaijan, nearly 23 seconds adrift of race winner George Russell, and spent most of the race isolated between cars rather than fighting for a podium spot. The problem was painfully obvious on Baku's long straights, where Ferrari's power unit disadvantage left Hamilton with nowhere to go. He couldn't make meaningful progress on the straights and couldn't defend properly either, leaving him in what he described as 'no man's land' for much of the afternoon.

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The power unit shortfall has been a known issue for Ferrari this season, with the team openly acknowledging they're down on top speed compared to Mercedes. That deficit becomes especially brutal on circuits like Baku with its 2.2-kilometre full-throttle sections. Despite these challenges, Hamilton seemed reluctant to accept a bleak assessment of where his new team sits in the pecking order, pointing out that Ferrari at least beat McLaren on the day.

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When pressed on Ferrari's exact position, Hamilton conceded the team probably isn't the second quickest right now, but insisted figuring out whether they're third or sitting further back was pointless at this stage. With Ferrari continuing development on the current SF-26 rather than abandoning it entirely for 2027, there's still work to do before the season concludes. For now, Hamilton appears determined not to let one difficult race define the team's trajectory or capabilities going forward.

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