Lewis Hamilton issues 'thank the Lord' relief after Ferrari surprise

Lewis Hamilton voiced relief after enjoying a positive opening day of action at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The seven-time champion ended the second practice session at the top of the timesheet, narrowly besting team-mate Charles Leclerc.

Hamilton's maiden F1 campaign with Ferrari has largely been filled with struggle, particularly with his one-lap qualifying pace.

However, the first day of on-track activities in Baku offered a moment of comfort for the Ferrari team, who is still searching for its first win of the season.

When asked if he felt it was a positive day on track for the team, Hamilton replied: “It was, thank the Lord.

“FP1 was a bit of a mess. This is a circuit where you have to have mega confidence on the brakes and I had some problems on the brakes.

“Every track I’m going to, it’s the first time driving the Ferrari at that circuit. Acclimatising to that is not easy.

“We made some changes going into FP2. The brakes were working perfectly and I was able to make a good advantage in terms of gaining on the brakes.”

While Hamilton highlighted Ferrari is making steps in the right direciton, he erred on the side of caution when asked what it meant for the bigger picture.

“I’m really happy to see the progress, it goes to show the direction we’ve been going as a team,” Hamilton said.

“I’m really grateful for everyone’s patience, everyone is pushing so hard. We’re starting to see the progress come through.

“It’s just a practice day, so let’s not go too far. I just want to say I’m really grateful to see everyone push, the support I’ve 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’re really making such a big difference.

“I’ve been beaming from the energy from the Tifosi at hte last race. I’m hoping to take that energy they gave us all the way through the rest of the season.”