Ferrari holds the record for pole positions at Baku: as many as 5. The problem? None of these turned into victories.Not exactly a positive statistic for the Prancing Horse team, which is the only top team never to have scored a victory on the Azerbaijani circuit. So what's missing from this team? Is it just bad luck? Or is there something else too?
McLaren and Red Bull win without starting from pole: in Baku it's difficult to win from pole position
La Ferrari e Baku They certainly have an ambiguous relationship. But they are not the only ones, because this circuit has proven unpredictable for everyone from the very beginning. In fact, first of all, it must be said that on the Azerbaijani circuit it is difficult for the poleman to take home the victory: in this regard this has only happened 3 times: in 2016 with Nico Rosberg, in 2019 with Valtteri Bottas and this year with Max Verstappen. In fact the 2025 it was the year that marked the first pole position for the Dutchman and for Red Bull in the Baku GP. What was the situation before? yes, they were at altitude 0 starts from the first box but they had already obtained 4 victoriesA haul that made them the true masters of the Azerbaijani Sunday with the record of victories on this circuit.
A similar situation is also that of McLaren, which has 0 poles but 1 win: the one of Plates in 2024A success that tells of a growing team, returned to battle in the noble areas of the rankings only by just over a year, but already capable of seizing the right opportunityIt's therefore normal that their haul is a little less rich than that of other teams. However, it's also worth remembering that points are not earned on Saturdays but on Sundays. And in this sense... the Woking team is in a better position than Ferrari in Baku the only results he gets are pole positions.
Ferrari in Baku: plenty of poles but no wins
Another anomaly of this circuit is that in In 9 editions there have been 7 different winnersWho were the only two to have climbed to the top step of the podium twice? Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, both with Red Bull. This is also reflected in qualifying: There are 6 polemen, and the only one with more than one pole position start is Leclerc, at 4. And this is where the problem becomes more serious: 4 poles, but no victory for Charles. The same goes for the Ferrari: 5 poles in Baku (1 with Vettel and 4 with Leclerc) and no victory: a unique value in the history of F1 for a team on a circuit.
The reason for this sad finding? Well, there was certainly a bit of bad luck. But that's not all. In fact, these grim figures are nothing more than the reflection of a car that was simply never up to the task of victoryIn fact, Ferrari has often had a very performing car on Saturday that then wasn't as good on Sunday. a fact that underlines the difficulty of the Rossa in translating the speed on the single lap into a concrete result in the raceIn other words: it would be up to Charles, but above all a more competitive car than this one, to bring Ferrari back to the top step of the podium in Azerbaijan…
The possibility of climbing onto the top step of the podium remains just a mirage
Ferrari's first pole on the Baku street circuit came in 2018 with Sebastian VettelThe race then started well, with the German leading for a long time. The problem? A few laps from the end, a Safety Car caused by the collision between the two Red Bulls changed things. Seb didn't get a good start at the restart, and shortly after, when he attempted to attack for first place, he made the only mistake of his weekend and went wide, crashing out. far from the podium.
And then we have the 4 consecutive starts from the post by Leclerc from 2021 to 2024But, as already said, no victory in this case either. So what was the problem here? In the first year, a single-seater that wasn't up to the rivals condemned Leclerc finished in fourth position. In the 2022 technical problems for the Prancing Horse stable they translate into a double DNF with the Monegasque driver forced to retire while leading. The following year, it was already clear from the start of the season that Ferrari could compete in qualifying but would have to look over its shoulder in the race. And indeed, the GP ended with Perez winning over a dominant Red Bull, while Charles is only 3rd.
Then came 2024: a time when everyone believed that doing something great was possible. Leclerc and his Ferrari once again managed to take pole position on the Baku circuit.: his supremacy on this track is now indisputable. However, on Sunday the problems arise again. His start is good but then Piastri overtakes him and from there it is impossible for him to regain the lead and he is forced to settle for second place.
So what is this team missing to be able to win?
Unfortunately, it's impossible to say with certainty why every time Ferrari gets a pole in Baku, it then fails to win. Surely, bad luck plays a part at times, but often it's the single-seater's problems are hindering the Maranello teamAs if they were putting a spoke in their own wheels…
