Red Bull duo lead FP1 in Baku

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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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.