'Others just took another step': Hamilton rues Ferrari's slide as gap balloons in Baku practice
Lewis Hamilton believes Ferrari's rivals "just took another step" between practice sessions in Baku, after the Scuderia went from genuine front-running pace in Free Practice 1 to more than a second adrift by the end of the day ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
A promising morning, a puzzling afternoon
Hamilton and team mate Charles Leclerc looked competitive during the opening session on the streets of Baku on Thursday, the pair finishing third and fourth respectively and only four tenths away from the top time — and that while running the medium Pirelli tyre, arguably masking their true pace.
By the time Free Practice 2 had concluded, however, that picture had changed dramatically. Leclerc's best effort left him fourth but 1.1 seconds off the benchmark, with Hamilton a further two tenths back in fifth.
"FP1 felt really strong, continuous laps, I thought we were doing pretty well," Hamilton explained. "And then FP2, for some reason, the others just took another step. And it's trying to understand... We didn't really change anything on the car, but the others took a step somehow."
The tyre window dilemma
The seven-time world champion pointed to the notoriously tricky Pirelli compounds as a key factor in the shrinking margins, arguing that getting the rubber into its working window had proved an elusive art.
"These tyres are really, really difficult to get to work," he said. "You do an out lap and a prep lap, and they still are not in the window, or they still don't provide you with the grip. And when you do an extra lap, all of a sudden they switch on, and all of a sudden you have tons more grip.
"So that's a really fine line and really difficult to get working. We're trying our best, and some teams do it better than others. So we've got to look into that. I think that's part of it."
Hamilton also identified an area of the car he believes needs urgent attention before qualifying: raw pace down Baku's famously long straights. "And then our straight-line speed is not as good as Mercedes," he admitted. "Whether or not we can close that deficit tomorrow is what I will try and work on tonight."
A frustrating pattern for Ferrari
Hamilton's frustration reflects a broader trend. Despite looking like Mercedes' closest challenger at times this season, Ferrari have failed to match the German manufacturer of late and have fallen behind McLaren in the general pecking order.
With its combination of long straights and slow corners, the Baku City Circuit offers a unique challenge on the F1 calendar — and it is one that has repeatedly caught Ferrari out. Team Principal Fred Vasseur is only too aware of how the Maranello squad has struggled at this venue in the past.
"It's difficult to read. Honestly, the McLaren was very quick, but they didn't finish the lap. You will need to have a good slipstream, and not to be impeded during the middle part [of the lap]," Vasseur said, pointing to how much traffic management will matter around the street track.
"It's difficult, Baku, [as] we know. If you have a look at last year, we were in a very good shape and we finished 10th and 11th, I think, in Qualifying. Let's be focused on what we have to do and try to extract the best."
With a qualifying session where tow and track position count for so much, Ferrari know that closing the straight-line speed deficit to Mercedes — and unlocking the tyres more consistently — could be the difference between contending for the front rows and another midfield disappointment in Baku.