Lewis Hamilton has acknowledged the scale of Ferrari’s championship challenge ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, saying that finishing second in the Constructors’ standings would be a remarkable achievement as he trails championship leader Kimi Antonelli by 101 points.

Speaking to media in Baku, the seven-time World Champion — who sits third in the Drivers’ standings — said his immediate priority is consolidating that position rather than mounting a title challenge. “I think if we could look at the end of the year at managing to stay in the top three, even second, it would be a huge achievement for us as a team,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton’s deficit to Antonelli has grown sharply in recent weeks. “In two races he gained something like 40-odd points on me,” Hamilton said. “We’ve been working so hard just to gain a couple of points here and there, so there’s still a long way to go.” Ferrari have not finished on the podium since the Belgian Grand Prix, allowing McLaren’s Lando Norris and Red Bull’s Max Verstappen to close the gap. Hamilton now leads Norris by just five points.

Despite the difficult run of results following his maiden Ferrari victory in Barcelona, Hamilton struck a measured tone. “There are positives to take out of the last few races, it’s just that they haven’t been the best in terms of execution,” he said. “I believe that we can make improvements and I think we have. I’m excited for this weekend.”

Teammate Charles Leclerc, who holds a record four pole positions at the Baku City Circuit without converting any into a victory, faces a potential additional obstacle this weekend. Leclerc declined to confirm whether Ferrari will fit an upgraded power unit that could trigger a grid penalty, citing strategic reasons. “I won’t go too much into detail on the plan of what engine we’ll use because that’s still something strategic for us,” he said.

Leclerc identified qualifying as Ferrari’s primary weakness at the venue. “Qualifying is probably where we struggle the most in terms of car performance. If we are in front in qualifying, then I’m hopeful for the race,” he said, adding that power unit optimisation would play a significant role on the Baku street circuit.