2021 F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix - Friday Practice - As it happened

Formula 1 returns to the streets of Baku for this weekend's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Max Verstappen has a four-point lead at the top of the drivers' championship following his maiden win Monaco last time out. 

Lewis Hamilton will need to bounce back in Baku after enduring a torrid weekend in the principality, where he finished seventh.

Over the years, the Azerbaijan GP has been chaotic and exciting due to its street circuit nature, combined with long straights allowing for overtaking opportunities. 

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McLaren is expected to perform well in Baku, while Ferrari is unlikely to maintain the form it showed in Monaco. 

What to expect from this weekend?

Conditions are expected to be sunny and warm throughout the race weekend. 

Pirelli has nominated the C3, C4 and C5 tyres for this weekend - the softest compounds available in its range for the season.

Ahead of the weekend, Pirelli's Mario Isola said: “From one unique circuit to another: Baku provides a very different test to Monaco, but the precision needed to stay out of trouble is similar. For the first time we bring the very softest tyres in the range to Azerbaijan, as also seen in Monte Carlo. The reason for this nomination is that the hard wasn’t used at all in the Baku race in 2019, whereas the medium was used extensively. By re-aligning the nominations, we hope to see all three compounds playing an important role and leading to some different strategies. In Formula 2, there’s a step between the compounds, just as was the case at the opening round in Bahrain.

“This creates a bigger differential between the tyres, and again leads to some entertaining racing and tactics, on a challenging circuit that’s renowned for being a place where anything can happen.”