Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton topped the timing sheets during the FP2 session at the 2025 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The Briton had struggled with the SF25 in the last few races but dropped four words of encouragement after his effort in the FP2 at Baku.Lewis Hamilton has had a difficult time in the SF25 since the rear suspension upgrade, with a spin in Spa and a pointless finish in Hungary. The Ferrari driver crashed out at Zandvoort and only managed P6 at the Italian Grand Prix.However, coming into the Azerbaijan GP, Hamilton was positive about the SF25, suggesting that Baku is likely to be a strong circuit for the characteristics of the Ferrari. While Charles Leclerc finished inside the Top 3 in FP1, the seven-time F1 champion could only manage a time good enough for P13, over 1.3 seconds slower than Lando Norris’ fastest time.Midway through FP2, both the Ferrari drivers looked strong. As the final quarter of the session began, everyone opted for the qualifying simulation run on the soft tires. Charles Leclerc first set a lap time good enough for P1 before Lewis Hamilton crossed the line and beat his teammate by nearly a tenth of a second.After setting the fastest lap, the Briton took to the team radio, suggesting he’s learnt a few things about the car and unlocking the pace.“That was a very good lap,” said Lewis Hamilton’s race engineer“Some good findings there,” replied the Briton“Yeah, definitely getting there,” concluded his race engineerWith Lando Norris out of the session after a contact with the barrier, Lewis Hamilton ended the session as the fastest driver with a lap time of 1:41.293. His teammate Leclerc finished the session in P2, just 0.074 seconds slower, making it a Ferrari 1-2.Lewis Hamilton is “optimistic” coming into the Azerbaijan GPSpeaking with the media during the Thursday press conference at Baku, Lewis Hamilton detailed how the SF25 is significantly different from the cars he’s previously driven at the Azerbaijan GP, suggesting the Ferrari had a lot more mechanical grip. When questioned if a win was possible in the upcoming race, Hamilton replied,“A win is a bit far fetched considering I’ve been 6th, 7th and 8th for most of the season. I would love to get a podium for the team at some stage. I feel optimistic coming into the weekend, I feel like I’ve found a couple of things and now I need to work on extracting them. So I really hope this weekend can be the start of that.”The Azerbaijan circuit has a lot of slow corners, which demand the car to have a good mechanical grip for better exits. With the SF25 having both good mechanical grip and good top end for the long main straight, both Ferrari drivers are expected to have a strong weekend.