It was not Ferrari or Mercedes on top of the time sheets as for the first time this season, Red Bull Racing set the pace in both practice sessions at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku. The Austrian team were expected to struggle owing to the long straights, but Max Verstappen was the fastest in both sessions after adapting to the track faster than anyone.

All the drivers struggled for front tyre grip as there were more than 100 yellow flag incidents. Every driver had to take the escape road at least once as they came to grips with the street circuit. The grip is certain to improve on Saturday, and Red Bull will be hoping that they can maintain their dominance at the front.

Force India also displayed good speed during the practice sessions and could be the dark horses come qualifying and the race. Sergio Perez and Estean Ocon looked strong in both the sessions, but the former's running was curtailed after he suffered a massive crash during FP1.

Lewis Hamilton struggled the most among the front runners after he was not able to set a quick lap even while using the super-soft compound. It is likely to be a six-car race for pole position on Saturday with Red Bull looking favourite at the moment.

Where to watch live

The third free practice session at the Baku City Circuit begins on 24 June at 11am BST, while the qualifying session starts at 2pm BST. Sky Sports F1 and Sky Sports F1 HD will provide live coverage of both events in the UK.

Real-time internet updates are available on the Live Timing section of the sport's official website.

Max Verstappen
Verstappen set the fastest time in both practice sessions in Baku Getty

Top 10 results of the second practice session (FP2) from the Baku City Circuit, Azerbaijan:

POS.DRIVERTIMEGAPLAPS
1MAX VERSTAPPEN1:43.36236
2VALTTERI BOTTAS1:43.462+0.100s32
3DANIEL RICCIARDO1:43.473+0.111s34
4KIMI RÄIKKÖNEN1:43.489+0.127s35
5SEBASTIAN VETTEL1:43.615+0.253s35
6LANCE STROLL1:44.113+0.751s27
7SERGIO PEREZ1:44.306+0.944s34
8DANIIL KVYAT1:44.321+0.959s27
9ESTEBAN OCON1:44.484+1.122s37
10LEWIS HAMILTON1:44.525+1.163s23