Lewis Hamilton put his Azerbaijan Grand Prix FP2 headline result down to changes in his braking set-up, as he feels that Ferrari’s progress over 2025’s Formula 1 season is starting to become apparent.
While Leclerc was leading the times in FP2 ahead of the final flurry of higher-fuel long runs, Hamilton benefitted from his team-mate’s assistance with a tow to move to the top of the order on his final flying run of the session.
Hamilton had been in 13th during FP1, in a session that he described as “a mess” due to a lack of confidence under braking – hardly an ideal scenario when tackling a plethora of 90-degree corners.
He felt that the brakes were “perfect” in the second Friday session although didn’t want to be too optimistic, given that it was only practice.
“I would say P1 was a bit of a mess; this is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence on the brakes and I had some problems with the brakes,” Hamilton explained after FP2.
“Every track I’m going to is the first time driving the Ferrari at that circuit, so acclimatising to that is not easy. We made some changes going into P2 and the brakes finally were working perfect.
“I was able to really make some big advantage in terms of gaining on the brakes. Really happy to see the progress and it just goes to show the direction we’ve been going as a team. I’m really grateful for everyone’s patience and everyone pushing so hard because we’re really starting to see the progress come through.”
Charles Leclerc, Ferrari
Photo by: Alexander Nemenov / AFP via Getty Images
Leclerc, meanwhile, felt that he could have got more out of himself during practice. While he was enthusiastic about Ferrari’s performance thus far, he reckoned that McLaren was “in another world” despite the Woking-based team’s misfortune over the Friday sessions.
The Monegasque, who has secured the last four pole positions on offer in Baku, suggested that his hopes of victory in the Azerbaijani capital might have to wait a little longer.
“It was OK. I think there’s a lot more potential, especially coming from me. I did a great job today, but overall we seem to be pretty strong,” Leclerc said.
“So it’s good. But, and there’s a big but, it looks like McLaren is in another world, literally. And I think people will be very surprised tomorrow because Lando didn’t finish some laps that were very, very impressive.
“I doubt we’ll be in the fight with them. But compared to the others, it seems that we are kind of in a good place.
“I don’t think there’s a battle for the win for now. But never say never. I think in 2021 and in many qualifyings here, I felt like it wasn’t possible. And at the end, we kind of made it. So I’ll keep my hopes high. But it looks unlikely.”
Ferrari Team Principal Frédéric Vasseur walks in the paddock
Photo by: Kym Illman / Getty Images
Ferrari’s team principal Frederic Vasseur was nonetheless pleased with his team’s early pace in Baku although, like Leclerc, pointed to McLaren’s unknown ultimate pace as the benchmark. He also suggested that, versus the Mercedes-powered cars, Ferrari had turned the wick up in FP2.
“Dreaming is never a good thing. We need to focus on what we’re doing. The margins are very tight. McLaren didn’t manage to complete a fast lap, but they were fast too,” Vasseur told Sky Sports Italia.
“Mercedes probably didn’t use the engine to its full potential, which means that tomorrow’s situation will be the same as we saw this morning, with everyone very close together.
“The race simulation is also important. We only did 4-5 laps, but it went very well. We have to focus on ourselves and get the most out of what we have. It was a good Friday, but we don’t know the fuel levels of the others and we haven’t seen their real potential.”
