Ferrari’s C5 tyre struggle explains early Azerbaijan GP pace deficit

Ferrari’s C5 tyre struggle explains early Azerbaijan GP pace deficit

Ferrari’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix was heavily influenced by the opening stint, when Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton struggled to extract performance from the Soft tyres before the C5 compound eventually came into its operating window. Around lap 10, the two Ferrari drivers were running roughly one second per lap slower than George Russell, only for their pace to improve substantially over the following four or five laps. That early loss proved …