Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

The pressure is definitely on McLaren now. They have had on average the fastest car in the second part of the season - it is very close between Red Bull and the McLarens, so they are not dominating in anyway.

They have surprised themselves that they are in this position.

Image source, Getty Images

Carlos Sainz has gone to the top of the timesheets with a 1:44.323 on the medium tyre but Max Verstappen has narrowly avoided a moment at Turn Six after a front lock-up. The Dutchman is able to bail out and carry on to complete his lap on the yellow compound.

While Charles Leclerc heads to Ferrari for some TLC, three other drivers are also stuck in the garage. Franco Colapinto and Esteban Ocon had their problems in first practice, so their delay is understandable, but George Russell is still sitting patiently back in the Mercedes base to join the action.

Rebecca Clancy
F1 journalist on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

This is such a frustrating time for Leclerc - he may as well come in so they can look at the car. He is not happy with how the car is feeling. He was really struggling to drive that Ferrari.

That's it for Charles Leclerc, he says. After complaining that something was "bent" on the car, the 26-year-old says he is coming back to the pits, and adds it's "impossible" Ferrari did not spot any issues in the data.

There has also been a set-up for Lewis Hamilton over at Mercedes, but the seven-time world champion wants to come back into the pits to fix a small problem with his windshield.

Charles Leclerc has more thoughts on his repaired Ferrari and is asking for feedback from his Italian team. But the answers are coming quick enough, and the Scuderia think Leclerc can carry on for now.

Rebecca Clancy
F1 journalist on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

The level of dirt out on track will make a difference in this session - and it is windy too. This track has the long straights and tight twisty sections and that means we get some great racing.

Azerbaijan's mix of the old and new has been a fruitful circuit for Red Bull since its introduction on the calendar, with the team winning four out of the six races held on the shores of the Caspian Sea.

Max Verstappen, victorious here in 2022, has dumped those softs for a set of mediums.

Charles Leclerc, meanwhile, wants Ferrari to check a few things with his second practice set-up.

Ben Edwards
F1 commentator on BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra

Max Verstappen is on the pace already - he is on the softs. He is just having a go on the old soft tyres - now he will come in and go on the mediums.

It brings us two Ferraris. Charles Leclerc's rookie mistake into the barrier in first practice has been patched up and the Monegasque driver is back out on track in Baku.

There were a few trips down the escape road and plenty of niggles regarding the low grip on the dusty track during first practice.

Let's see what the second session brings us...

BBC Sounds

Ben Edwards, Rebecca Clancy and Andrew Benson: clock in for your second shift of the day.

Commentary is available across BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this [age using the 'listen live' tab.

You can also tune in via most smart speakers. Just ask BBC Sounds to play Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice two and the team will meet you there.

Image source, Getty Images

With 62 points between first and second in the drivers' championship (even less in the constructors' battle), and reigning title holder Max Verstappen on the back foot in recent races, Lando Norris knows this is a golden opportunity to mount a credible challenge to the Dutchman's throne.

But the 24-year-old doesn't want glory to come via the gift of preferential treatment.

"Yes, it would be great to have a championship, and short term you feel amazing, but I don't think you'd be proud of that in the long run. It's not how I want to win a championship," said Norris on Thursday.

"I want to win it by fighting against Max and beating Max, beating my competitors and proving I'm the best on track. That's how I want to race."

For Oscar Piastri, who has collected a sizeable haul of points over the European leg of the season, there "needs some more discussions" on what team orders could mean in the future, but the Australian added: "The main point is it's not just going to be me pulling over for Lando every race because that's how none of us, including Lando, want to race."

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Andrea Stella told me both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri had bought into the shift in philosophy at McLaren.

"The conversations have been very collaborative," said Stella.

"Even when I said to Oscar: 'Would you be available to give up a victory?' He said: 'It's painful, but if it's the right thing to do now, I will do it'.

"Every driver is hard-wired to go for a victory. So I am always very impressed by the level of team spirit and maturity and collaboration that we found in this period."

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Andrea Stella gave an exclusive interview to BBC Sport this week and said any actions taken to back Lando Norris over Oscar Piastri in the drivers' title chase would happen only within the team's principles of sportsmanship and fairness.

"The overall concept is we are incredibly determined to win, but we want to win in the right way," said the McLaren team principal.

"What we don't want to see any more is a situation like in Monza in which we enter a chicane P1/P2 and we exit P1/P3. Because that is a detriment to the team.

"The team interests comes first and these are the situations that above all we need to fix because eventually, as a matter of fact, the way we entered the race in Monza left the door open this situation.

"After Monza, three objectives: we need to make sure that anything that happens on track is not to the detriment of the team.

"Second objective, how do we win both championships, both drivers committed to help?

"But what we don't want to do is win in a reckless way.

"Those are the three topics and they define the way we go racing in Baku. This will be updated after Baku."

Image source, Getty Images

The aftermath of the Italian Grand Prix and the build-up to this weekend's Baku event has buzzed with the debate around team orders over at McLaren.

A qualifying one-two for the team - with Lando Norris on pole and Oscar Piastri alongside him on the front row - eventually became second and third on the podium, following Piastri's opening lap move on Norris, which also opened the door for Charles Leclerc, who would then go on to win in Monza, to pass the Briton.

The team have now made a decision on how they will handle the situation going forward, prioritising Norris over Piastri in their bid to win both Formula 1 world championships this year.

However, there are conditions as to when those new papaya rules will be pulled out...

Image source, Formula 1

Lewis Hamilton was the quickest car on the soft tyre until the dying moments of the session, when Max Verstappen popped his Red Bull to the top of the timesheets with a 1:46.546.

British teenager Ollie Bearman is subbing for the banned Kevin Magnussen over at Haas this weekend and the 19-year-old put his car in P11 - one place higher than temporary team-mate Nico Hulkenberg. Can Bearman score some points in Baku to add to the six he secured for Ferrari in Saudi Arabia in March? It would certainly be an eye-catching result before his debut on the grid in 2025.

Adrian Newey's arrival can't come soon enough for Lance Stroll, who proclaimed the Aston Martin was "not a car right now" in the early stages of FP1. The Canadian finished in 13th place, while team-mate Fernando Alonso landed in the top 10 in seventh.

Image source, Getty Images

Hello again, folks. First practice in Azerbaijan got off to a rocky start for some drivers, with three red flags peppered across the session for debris on track, Charles Leclerc's crash in the Ferrari at Turn 15 and Franco Colapinto's Turn Four thud in the Williams.

Esteban Ocon's hour was also cut short with what Alpine described as a suspected power-unit issues.

Image source, Getty Images

Second practice on the streets of Baku gets under way at 14:00 BST.

Commentary is available across BBC Radio 5 Sports Extra, BBC Sounds and at the top of this [age using the 'listen live' tab.

You can also tune in via most smart speakers. Just ask BBC Sounds to play Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice two.

Andrew Benson
BBC F1 correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen pipped Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton to fastest time at the end of a first practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix punctuated by three red flags.

Verstappen supplanted Hamilton at the top of the time sheets with his final lap of the session, moving 0.313 seconds clear of the seven-time world champion.

Red Bull’s Sergio Perez also set his fastest time on his final lap of the session, moving up to third place, 0.376secs off the pace.

McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen’s closest challenger in the championship, was fourth, 0.481secs behind the Dutchman.

Read the full report here

Azerbaijan has provided plenty of dramatic moments over the years and this season's race weekend has opened with an incident-packed first practice session.

While the teams and drivers take a break - or continue working of you're a Ferrari, Williams or Alpine mechanic - we'll also pause this live page and take a quick pit stop.

Come back and join us for second practice at 13:45 BST.

See you shortly.