FP1 LIVE | First practice for the 2022 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku

It's Friday, June 10, and that means the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend is about to begin. After a week of recharging at home, the Formula 1 drivers get back into their cars today to prepare for qualifying and racing later this weekend. It will be interesting to see who will be right on top in the first free practice session.

F1 LIVE: FP1 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Starting at 12:00hrs UK time, the drivers will get their first 60 minutes to work on the perfect set-up of their own car. FP1 will mainly be about seeing if the car reacts as predicted on the simulator in the run-up to the Azerbaijani Grand Prix.

Red Bull and Ferrari are close

Ferrari and Red Bull Racing will under normal circumstances again be deciding who will take victory on the Baku street circuit. The differences between the F1-75 and RB18 are minimal so it promises to be an exciting battle. A trouble-free, high mileage first free practice session is, therefore, a must for both formations.

Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will have to rely mainly on traction in the corners, while Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will have to gain their time on the straights. With the long straight of more than two kilometres, there is plenty of time for that, but the Ferraris are a formidable competitor.

It will also be interesting to see if Mercedes can catch up with the two top teams. The German team already had good Fridays in 2022, let's see if they can repeat that. In Monaco, Lewis Hamilton and George Russell failed to catch up. Can Mercedes look ahead or will teams like Alfa Romeo and McLaren complicate things from behind?