Lewis Hamilton didn’t hide the grin. On a sun‑splashed Friday in Baku, the Ferrari driver topped the times and led a scarlet one‑two, the latest hint that his post‑summer upswing is real and gathering pace.
Hamilton’s 1:41.293 put him at the head of the sheet after FP2, 0.074s clear of Charles Leclerc, with George Russell half a second back in the Mercedes. It wasn’t just the headline; it was the way it came together. Ferrari found something between sessions, and Hamilton—still learning the SF-25 at new circuits—clicked with it.
“It really has [been positive], thank the Lord,” he said. “It started out, it wasn’t so positive. FP1 was a bit of a mess. And this is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence in the brakes. I had some problems with the brakes.”
Baku punishes hesitation. It’s all long stops and razor-edged walls, the kind of place where if your middle pedal isn’t perfect, your lap isn’t either. Ferrari addressed it between sessions, and Hamilton felt the car come to him.
“We made some changes going into P2 and the brakes finally were working perfect,” he added. “I was able to really make some quick big advantage in terms of gaining on the brakes. So really happy to see the progress.”
There’s been a gentle but noticeable reset since the summer break. The rhythm, the feel, the confidence—call it what you like—has crept back into Hamilton’s weekends. And in Baku, with Ferrari showing clean, repeatable speed across both cars, he let the gratitude flow.
“It just goes to show the direction we’ve been going as a team,” he said. “Really, really grateful for everyone’s patience and everyone pushing so hard, because we’ve really started to see the progress come through.”
That “patience” line carried weight. The Hamilton–Ferrari union hasn’t always been a smooth headline, and when a driver with his CV changes teams, the microscope never blinks. So was this the big day, the turning point?
He wasn’t biting. “It’s just practice day, so let’s not go too far,” he cautioned. But he circled back to the theme: appreciation. “I really am grateful for everyone continuing to push. The support I’ve been getting back from everyone at the factory, everyone here, their patience, their support every weekend, just lifting me up, the guys in the garage, all of our marketing team, they’re really making a big difference. And then the tifosi… we’ve been beaming from the energy from the tifosi in the last race. Hoping to take that energy all the way through the rest of the season.”
The context matters. Hamilton comes into the Azerbaijan Grand Prix 46 points behind Leclerc in the Drivers’ standings. Fridays don’t pay out, but they can set the tone. And around here, a clean FP2 that builds confidence on the brakes is worth more than most circuits. Qualifying is a tightrope act in Baku; the slipstream games start early, and the lap time lives in the walls.
Leclerc, neat and tidy as ever, was right there. Ferrari’s longer-run reads looked composed, too—not a guarantee of anything on a street track that loves drama, but a useful marker all the same. Russell’s presence in third suggests Mercedes aren’t going anywhere, and no one believes Red Bull won’t turn up once the stakes climb.
But on this particular Friday, it was Ferrari’s garage humming and Hamilton’s smile that told the story. The champion who asked for patience feels the car answering back. Now he has to bottle Friday’s feeling and pour it into Saturday, where Baku tends to decide who gets to dream about Sunday.
The margins are thin, the confidence is up, and the red cars look lively. That’s enough to make anyone in Maranello sleep a little better—at least until the walls of Baku ask their next question.
