Lewis Hamilton hails key Ferrari breakthrough: “Finally working” after Baku practice

Lewis Hamilton believes he has finally solved a key issue with the brake system on his Ferrari, following a strong showing in practice at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Hamilton topped the timesheets in second practice at the Baku City Circuit on Friday.

The 40-year-old was just under a tenth ahead of Ferrari teammate Charles Leclerc, who is a Baku specialist, taking four consecutive poles.

Data analysis revealed that Hamilton is opting for a higher downforce setup, relative to Leclerc.

It means Hamilton is quicker than Leclerc during the twisty corners in the middle of the lap.

Leclerc’s advantage is on the straights, but if Hamilton is able to get a crucial tow on his best lap, he could benefit the most.

Ahead of practice, Sky Sports F1 pundit Karun Chandhok suggested that Hamilton’s slow adaptation to life at Ferrari was due to the brakes.

Ferrari use brake materials supplied by Brembo, while he used Carbon Industrie during his spells at McLaren and Mercedes.

Hamilton’s breakthrough with the brakes in Azerbaijan could be the key to turning his season around.

Reflecting on a positive Friday in Baku, Hamilton said after the session: “It really has [been positive]… thank the Lord! It wasn’t so positive. I would say P1 was a bit of a mess.

“This is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence on the brakes. I’ve had some problems with the brakes. Every track I am going to is the first time I am driving a Ferrari at that circuit so acclimatising to that is not easy. We made some changes going into P2.

“The brakes were finally working perfectly and 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’re going in as a team. Really grateful for everyone’s patience and everyone pushing so hard because we’ve started to see the progress come through.”

Hamilton not getting carried away

Despite there being plenty of positives for Lewis Hamilton, he was keen to stress it was only “practice”.

Since his 2021 title defeat to Max Verstappen, Hamilton has enjoyed flashes of brilliance.

Often he’s been positive after practice before taking a step back come qualifying.

Still, Hamilton is feeling the love from Ferrari and their fans - the adoring Tifosi.

“I wouldn’t say [it’s been big]. It’s just a practice day,” he added.

“I would say let’s not go too far. I just want to say I am really grateful for everyone for continuing to push. The support I’ve been getting from everyone back in the factory. Everyone here - their patience, support, every weekend they’ve lifted me up.

“The guys in the garage, all of our marketing team. They’re really making a big difference. Tifosi, they’ve been beaming the energy from them in the last race. I am hoping to take that energy they’ve given us all the way through the rest of the season.”