Lewis Hamilton beams as Ferrari 'really starting to see progress' at Azerbaijan GP

Lewis Hamilton has praised Ferrari's significant progress after a stellar performance in the second practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The British racing star topped the timesheets on Friday, with team-mate Charles Leclerc hot on his heels in second place, both nearly half-a-second quicker than George Russell in third.

Their success was aided by a disastrous session for favourites McLaren, who saw both their drivers crash into the wall. Lando Norris was first to hit trouble, causing suspension damage when he collided with a barrier and slowly limped his car back to the pits, before Oscar Piastri also pushed his luck too far on the Baku street circuit.

Hamilton himself had a minor scrape with the barriers in the first practice, which proved more challenging for the seven-time champion, finishing that initial hour down in 13th place. However, adjustments made to his set-up between sessions saw his Ferrari spring to life in FP2.

Hamilton was over the moon after a "really" positive day, which confirmed to the 40-year-old just how much progress his team has made in understanding how to extract the best from the car. "It wasn't so positive [to begin with]... I would say [Free Practice 1] was a bit of a mess," he admitted.

"This is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence on the brakes and I had some problems with the brakes. Also, every track I am 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 [FP2] and the brakes finally were working perfectly.

I was able to really make some big advantages in terms of gaining on the brakes. I am really happy to see the progress and it just goes to show the direction we have been going as a team. I am really, really grateful for everyone's patience and everyone pushing so hard, because we are really starting to see the progress come through."

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Hamilton claimed earlier this week that the idea of winning a Grand Prix this year is "far-fetched", and he continued his cautious outlook on that front when he was asked what the strong pace he showed in FP2 might mean for his chances over the rest of the weekend. He replied: "It is just practice day, I would say let's not go too far.

"I just want to say that I really am grateful for everyone continuing to push. The support I have 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 are really making a big difference.

"Then the Tifosi, we have been beaming from the energy from the Tifosi in the last race [at Monza]. I am hoping to take that energy that they gave us all the way through the rest of the season."

Leclerc also had a strong day, having finished third at the end of FP1 and then second behind only Hamilton in the second hour-long session. The Monegasque will be a strong contender for pole position, having gone quickest in qualifying at each of the last four Azerbaijan GP.