Hamilton names problem: 'That was the hardest thing'

Lewis Hamilton has had a difficult first day in Azerbaijan. While the British driver set the sixth fastest time in the first free practice, a few hours later he was good for a twelfth place. According to the seven-time world champion this has a logical explanation, as he told Sky Sports.

Hamilton again suffered a lot of porpoising during the second practice session, which was due to changes to his car. So where the problem seemed to have virtually disappeared after Barcelona, it returned in Baku. "Bouncing hardest thing about today," is how Hamilton analyzes the situation.

The driver therefore expects the racing stable to reverse the adjustments. "We tried something experimental on my car, and it didn't feel that great to be honest. At least we tried it and got data on it and we will go through it and probably revert back to what we changed."

Mercedes faces challenge

George Russell could be satisfied with Friday's practice sessions. However, with an eighth and seventh time, he did not come close to Ferrari and Red Bull Racing, so it looks like it will be another tough task for Mercedes to fight with the top teams.