Ricciardo fastest in second practice, Hamilton 5th, Vettel only 11th
Red Bull appear to have best race pace as Mercedes & Ferrari struggle
Verstappen crashes in first session - adding to several incidents this season
Final practice & qualifying coverage from 10:30 BST Saturday
BBC Radio 5 live sports extra
We are live on BBC Radio 5 live sports extra with Alex Jacques and former Renault man Jolyon Palmer and you can listen along via the play button at the top right now.
Andrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
Can Red Bull challenge again this weekend, after Daniel Ricciardo’s stupendous victory in China last time out? They recognise it will be difficult this weekend with the long straight and the lack of performance of the Renault engine in qualifying trim compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.
“We have a good race car for sure,” Ricciardo said. “I think one-lap pace we’ve still got to show a bit more. At least for Saturday I think we’ll probably not be there but Sunday, who knows, that can turn around.”
Image source, Getty ImagesWhat is your favourite race of all time and why?
Andrew Jones: Favourite gps of all time. Suzuka 2005, Britain 2003, Australia 2003, Hungary 1997 (until the final lap anyway).
fantasy-f1-league: British GP 1981 great win from John Watson and the first race I attended.
The yellow softs, red supersofts and purple ultrasofts are available to the drivers this weekend.
Image source, PirelliAndrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
At the front of the field, all the questions at the moment hang over Mercedes, and their failure to win a race so far this season - the first time in the hybrid era they have gone three races without a victory.
Lewis Hamilton said he was not concerned, that the first four races always provided a “feeler of where we stand”, but he admitted that the team were struggling to get the tyres to work.
“Naturally we are hoping we can implement the things we have learn this weekend,” he said.
"We know it is going to be close, the Ferraris and Red Bulls were quick here last year and I anticipate it will be the same and we have no idea where we will be this weekend.”
Team-mate Valtteri Bottas added: “It is maybe a bit more of a challenge than we expected but we always knew it was not going to be an easy season.”
Image source, Getty ImagesThree races gone and this is how they stand in the drivers' championship.
Image source, .The action is not just restricted to Formula 1 this weekend, with the second event in the Formula 2 season also taking place in Azerbaijan.
Practice was held earlier today with Great Britain's George Russell, part of Mercedes' Junior Driver Programme, fifth fastest, one place in front of series leader and fellow Brit Lando Norris.
The third Brit in the field, Jack Aitken, was 15th quickest, with Brazilian Sergio Sette Camara the fastest man. Qualifying for Saturday's hour-long feature race takes place at 12:00 BST.
Image source, Getty ImagesAndrew Benson
BBC Sport’s chief F1 writer
The Azerbaijani capital of Baku is a schizophrenic place - and that is reflected in the two Formula 1 grands prix that have been held there so far.
The city itself is split between a tiny medieval quarter, around which part of the track winds, an area that is styled to look like the grand boulevards of Barcelona or Paris but dates from only two or three decades ago, and the sort of statement pieces of modern architecture beloved of so many authoritarian regimes the world over.
The track has the longest ‘straight’ in F1, and another long run between Turns Two and Three, but also a seemingly never-ending sequence of right-angled corners before the tight fiddle around the castle, some fast sweepers down to Turn 15 and then the long haul back to the pits.
The first race in 2016 was a bore-fest; the second one of the craziest for years. For Sebastian Vettel, instrumental in the key moment of the 2017 race when he deliberately drove into Lewis Hamilton in a fit of misdirected and unfounded pique, the main straight is “long, very long, too long - the track is quite nice, maybe the straights are a bit too long but they are part of the track’s soul. So… I like it, it is quite challenging. It is a good track.”
Image source, Getty ImagesWhat is your favourite race of all time and why?
Callum Marshall: My favourite race is probably the 2011 Canadian Grand Prix (pictured). Complete chaos and a surprise victory for Button.
James Valentine: Any from the mid-80s. No, they were quiet compared to a V10 - but Piquet doing 186Mph out of the tunnel at Monaco and cars that could go flat out for two hours, catch and overtake each other and drivers with charisma.
Image source, Getty ImagesAnd Sergio Perez was remembering the good times.
Image source, Sergio PerezThose good memories that Sergio Perez is talking about come from two years ago at the first ever Formula 1 race to be held in Azerbaijan, although it was called the European Grand Prix then.
Perez finished third, his last podium finish.
Valtteri Bottas was patiently waiting to get back out there...
Image source, Valtteri BottasLewis Hamilton was praising his Mercedes team...
Image source, Lewis HamiltonRomain Grosjean went for a run... and found a very tasty version of the track.
Image source, Romain Grosjean
Image source, Romain GrosjeanRed Bull pair Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo went off-road...
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So, what have the drivers been up to in Azerbaijan over the last few days? Let's have a look...
What is your favourite race of all time and why?
The events of last year are the inspiration for our first talking point this weekend.
A very simple one for you.
What is your favourite grand prix of all time and why?
Tweet us using the hashtag #bbcf1 and we will dig out photos of those races and post your messages in this page throughout the session.
Image source, Getty ImagesLance Stroll got to do a 'Shoey' on the podium in Azerbaijan, much to the delight of race winner Daniel Ricciardo
Listen again to BBC Radio 5 live commentary as Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton react to their bizarre safety car crash in this race last year.
Vettel and Hamilton react to their safety car crash
What happened here last year? Carnage, absolute carnage.
It was the eighth race of the campaign (now it's the fourth) and produced one of the most bizarre moments of the season.
Sebastian Vettel, thinking Lewis Hamilton had "brake-tested" him, decided to move next to Hamilton and deliberately drive into the Englishman, although Hamilton later lost the chance to win because of a loose head restraint.
The remarkable race also featured three safety cars and several crashes, including clashes between team-mates, and was won by Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo with nine different teams represented in the top 10. Vettel was given a 10-second stop-go penalty for swerving into Hamilton's Mercedes as they prepared for a restart at the end of one of those safety car periods in Baku.
Hamilton finished fifth, a place behind Ferrari's Vettel, while Hamilton's team-mate Valtteri Bottas, who was last and lapped after the first lap, passed Williams driver Lance Stroll for second on the final straight as the 18-year-old Canadian scored his first podium by coming third.
Same again? Let's hope so.
Image source, .Hello and welcome along to BBC Sport's live text commentary from the opening two practice sessions of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend.
I'm Michael Emons and will be guiding you through all the action.
You can also listen to live commentary courtesy of BBC Radio 5 live sports extra from 09:55 BST.
Image source, Getty Images