Verstappen sees room for improvement: "Felt more like a step backwards".

Max Verstappen has had a better first day in Baku than in Monaco, with the Dutchman finding himself in first and second place in the opening two sessions, while title rival Lewis Hamilton was well behind. The Red Bull Racing driver is reasonably satisfied with the first day in Baku.

"No, it didn't have a direct effect. The size was not quite right, but it was fine," Verstappen said about driving with teammate Sergio Perez's shoes during the first free practice session.

Verstappen not entirely happy

"Performance-wise we had a great start to the weekend so far. The car in FP1 felt really decent and I was quite comfortable."

However, the speed in the RB16B seemed to be a little less present in the afternoon. "For FP2 we made a few changes to see what would be better, but I think we went backwards, so we will look overnight of course in which direction we will go into," the 23-year old Dutchman explained.

But, overall, Verstappen is happy with Friday's proceedings: "Nevertheless, for the team, it's still a very good day. It was pretty windy and of course it's never easy but makes driving around here more interesting."