Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc appeared competitive during opening practice at the Baku City Circuit, finishing third and fourth after running on Pirelli’s medium tyres.
Both drivers were about four-tenths of a second behind the fastest time, but Ferrari’s deficit increased significantly during the second session.
Leclerc finished fourth, 1.1 seconds behind pace-setter George Russell, while Hamilton placed fifth after ending a further two-tenths back.
“FP1 felt really strong,” Hamilton said. “I thought we were doing pretty well.”
“And then FP2, for some reason, the others just took another step. We didn’t really change anything on the car, but the others took a step somehow.”
Hamilton identified tyre preparation and straight-line speed as the main areas requiring improvement.
“These tyres are really, really difficult to get to work,” Hamilton said.
“You do an out lap and a preparation lap, and they still are not in the window or they still don’t provide you with the grip.”
Hamilton said completing another lap could suddenly produce substantially more grip, making tyre preparation difficult to judge.
“That’s a really fine line and really difficult to get working,” Hamilton said. “Some teams do it better than others, so we’ve got to look into that.”
The seven-time world champion also acknowledged that Ferrari lacked Mercedes’ speed along Baku’s long straights.
“Whether or not we can close that deficit tomorrow is what I will try and work on tonight,” Hamilton said.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur said practice results remained difficult to interpret because traffic, slipstreams and incomplete laps affected the standings.
“It’s difficult to read,” Vasseur said. “The McLaren was very quick, but they didn’t finish the lap.”
Vasseur said drivers would require an effective slipstream along the straights without encountering traffic through the middle section.
Ferrari has recently slipped behind McLaren after emerging as Mercedes’ closest challenger at stages of the season.
“Let’s be focused on what we have to do and try to extract the best,” Vasseur said.Hamilton urges Ferrari to find pace after difficult Baku practice
Lewis Hamilton says Ferrari must find more speed before qualifying for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after Mercedes pulled clear during Thursday’s second practice session.
Hamilton and teammate Charles Leclerc appeared competitive during opening practice at the Baku City Circuit, finishing third and fourth after running on Pirelli’s medium tyres.
Both drivers were about four-tenths of a second behind the fastest time, but Ferrari’s deficit increased significantly during the second session.
Leclerc finished fourth, 1.1 seconds behind pace-setter George Russell, while Hamilton placed fifth after ending a further two-tenths back.
“FP1 felt really strong,” Hamilton said. “I thought we were doing pretty well.”
“And then FP2, for some reason, the others just took another step. We didn’t really change anything on the car, but the others took a step somehow.”
Hamilton identified tyre preparation and straight-line speed as the main areas requiring improvement.
“These tyres are really, really difficult to get to work,” Hamilton said.
“You do an out lap and a preparation lap, and they still are not in the window or they still don’t provide you with the grip.”
Hamilton said completing another lap could suddenly produce substantially more grip, making tyre preparation difficult to judge.
“That’s a really fine line and really difficult to get working,” Hamilton said. “Some teams do it better than others, so we’ve got to look into that.”
The seven-time world champion also acknowledged that Ferrari lacked Mercedes’ speed along Baku’s long straights.
“Whether or not we can close that deficit tomorrow is what I will try and work on tonight,” Hamilton said.
Ferrari Team Principal Fred Vasseur said practice results remained difficult to interpret because traffic, slipstreams and incomplete laps affected the standings.
“It’s difficult to read,” Vasseur said. “The McLaren was very quick, but they didn’t finish the lap.”
Vasseur said drivers would require an effective slipstream along the straights without encountering traffic through the middle section.
Ferrari has recently slipped behind McLaren after emerging as Mercedes’ closest challenger at stages of the season.
“Let’s be focused on what we have to do and try to extract the best,” Vasseur said.
–F1/ChannelAfrica–
