Max Verstappen topped the first practice session in Baku this morning, edging out Red Bull team mate Daniel Ricciardo by four tenths of a second.
The Dutch driver clocked in with a 1:44.410, looking very confident around the treacherous street circuit, with low grip levels throwing a challenge the drivers' way.
But both Red Bull drivers were spared any drama and made the most of the difficult conditions.
Championship leader Sebastian Vettel ended up third, half a second down from Verstappen, with Force India's Sergio Perez in fourth.
The Mexican's session ended abruptly however when he clipped a barrier, prompting a red flag and inflicting substantial damage to the right side of his Force India.
Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas ended the morning fifth and sixth following a low-profile but studious session.
Esteban Ocon, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen rounded out the top ten.
Free practice 1 results
| Pos | Driver | Team | Time | Gap | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull | 1:44.410s | 19 | |
| 2 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull | 1:44.880s | + 0.470s | 22 |
| 3 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:44.967s | + 0.557s | 20 |
| 4 | Sergio Pérez | Force India | 1:45.398s | + 0.988s | 16 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes | 1:45.497s | + 1.087s | 16 |
| 6 | Valtteri Bottas | Mercedes | 1:45.737s | + 1.327s | 19 |
| 7 | Esteban Ocon | Force India | 1:45.752s | + 1.342s | 24 |
| 8 | Felipe Massa | Williams | 1:45.968s | + 1.558s | 25 |
| 9 | Kimi Räikkönen | Ferrari | 1:46.000s | + 1.590s | 18 |
| 10 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso | 1:46.617s | + 2.207s | 11 |
| 11 | Lance Stroll | Williams | 1:46.649s | + 2.239s | 28 |
| 12 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas | 1:46.721s | + 2.311s | 23 |
| 13 | Romain Grosjean | Haas | 1:46.837s | + 2.427s | 22 |
| 14 | Nico Hülkenberg | Renault | 1:47.217s | + 2.807s | 21 |
| 15 | Stoffel Vandoorne | McLaren | 1:47.446s | + 3.036s | 22 |
| 16 | Carlos Sainz | Toro Rosso | 1:47.501s | + 3.091s | 13 |
| 17 | Fernando Alonso | McLaren | 1:47.551s | + 3.141s | 20 |
| 18 | Jolyon Palmer | Renault | 1:48.525s | + 4.115s | 15 |
| 19 | Pascal Wehrlein | Sauber | 1:49.048s | + 4.638s | 19 |
| 20 | Marcus Ericsson | Sauber | 1:49.937s | + 5.527s | 21 |
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