Hamilton concern for Mercedes Saturday ‘step’ after early Baku tonic

Lewis Hamilton has provided a buoyant reaction to his opening day of practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix but is erring on the side of caution over his prospects for the weekend.

The seven-time world champion ended FP2 in third place, sitting less than one-tenth down on the best lap of the day set by Charles Leclerc.

Having enjoyed a strong run of form on the build-up to the summer break, the last two races after the resumption of the season have been difficult for Hamilton.

Reflecting on his day, the 39-year-old detailed he was able to get up to speed quickly around the Baku City Circuit.

“It was a really good day, I enjoyed [Friday],” he said. “I hit the ground running from the get-go. I made incremental steps with the setup. 

“For once I felt like we didn’t have any steps that we had to come back on, we were consistently building.”

However, Hamilton conceded he is unsure how his high-fuel performance stacks up against his rivals. 

“I don’t know how my long run is compared to others but we didn’t get a huge amount of laps. I think Red Bull seem pretty quick, as does Ferrari. But we’re there or thereabouts.

“On this day you don’t know what fuel loads everyone is on. Often when we get to FP3 or qualfiying, everyone takes a step and we haven’t always. 

“So we’ll just stay cautious and just try to do the best we can with what we have. I hope we are closer to the front than it seems.”