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Victor Petkov
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Villeneuve thinks Hamilton deliberately delayed Leclerc swap in Baku
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"He played it really well", thinks the Canadian after Azerbaijan controversy in Ferrari

Former World Champion Jacques Villeneuve has suggested that Lewis Hamilton intentionally delayed returning a position to Charles Leclerc during the closing moments of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

It was a frustrating weekend for Ferrari at the Baku City Circuit, where Hamilton failed to progress beyond Q2 and Leclerc crashed out in Q3. Both drivers struggled to make progress in Sunday’s race, ultimately finishing eighth and ninth, with Hamilton ahead of his teammate.

Hamilton was allowed past Leclerc mid-race after stopping later and switching to fresher tires, but the agreement was clear: if he couldn’t move further forward, he would need to give the place back. When the moment came, however, Hamilton misjudged his braking and let Leclerc by too late — effectively keeping the position.

The seven-time world champion apologized to Leclerc after the race, but 1997 title winner Villeneuve believes the move was anything but accidental.

“Lewis Hamilton played it well. He played it really well,” Villeneuve said. “Ferrari asked Leclerc to let Lewis by, but they didn’t need to. Lewis then, on the new tire, was so much quicker anyway he would have overtaken him. So, the team orders were unnecessary.  “So, I guess that’s why Lewis didn’t really want to let him by again!”