Hamilton in Baku - Photo: RacePictures.com

Hamilton: ‘Job not done’ despite leading Ferrari 1-2 in Baku

18:53, 19 Sep

Updated: 19:12, 19 Sep

byPietro Vurro

Despite strong start to the weekend for Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari, who secured a one–two finish in FP2, Hamilton insisted the job is far from done, with bigger challenges expected tomorrow.

"I would say P1 was a bit of a mess"

- Lewis Hamilton

Hamilton in Baku - Photo: RacePictures.com

Speaking to F1 TV, the seven-time world shared the first session was a bit of a mess, but he could find more confidence heading into FP2.

"It wasn't so positive, I would say P1 was a bit of a mess and this is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence in the brakes and I had some problems with the brakes.

"Every track I'm going to is the first time driving a Ferrari at that circuit, so acclimatizing to that is not easy. And then we made some changes going into FP2, and the brakes finally were working perfect, and so I was able to really make some quick big advantage in terms of gaining on the brakes."

When asked about the importance of finishing Friday on top, he continued: "I would say it's been just practice days. Yeah, I would say that let's not go too far on that.

"I just want to say that I really am grateful for everyone continuing to push the support I've been getting back from everyone at the factory."

His caution echoed team principal Frédéric Vasseur, who, despite being pleased with Ferrari’s strong showing across both sessions, admitted he remained wary of McLaren’s potential.

Ferrari leads FP2 in Azerbaijan

Hamilton was the quickest this Friday afternoon in Baku, leading a Ferrari one-two in the second free practice session of the Azerbaijan GP.

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Ferrari’s dominance was clear from the opening minutes of FP2. Charles Leclerc set the pace with a 1:41.7 on soft tyres, while Hamilton was just a tenth and a half slower on mediums. From then on, the two traded places at the top of the timesheets, with Hamilton eventually topping the session by less than a tenth.

The Briton was also involved in a strange incident early on, where Lance Stroll attempted to overtake him and nearly crossed the white line on the pit lane exit. On his first attempt, Hamilton also found the escape roads, but was more confident on the softs afterwards, as he finished the day in first place.