Scuderia Ferrari HP completed 97 laps on the first day of track action for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

As is often the case at the Baku City Circuit, the track was very dirty in the early stages and gradually cleaned up with every passing lap. Therefore, it was important for Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton to progressively build up confidence in the track and the walls, which can be brushed but not touched. The team worked on the set-up of the SF-26s and ran all three Pirelli compounds available for this weekend, acquiring data both over single laps and through several long runs. This evening, all the information will be analysed and assessed in preparation for tomorrow's qualifying.

In the first session, Charles and Lewis began their programme on Hard tyres, completing a series of several laps to start getting to grips with the circuit. Halfway through the session, both Ferraris switched to Medium tyres, on which the two drivers set their best times: Charles in 1'45"791, good for third quickest, and Lewis in 1'45"824, the fourth fastest time. Towards the end of the hour, both drivers completed a long run: Hamilton on the Hards used at the start of the session and Leclerc on Mediums. Both completed 25 laps, for a team total of 50.

In the second session, Charles and Lewis began work on the Medium compound, staying out on track until the session was red flagged when Arvid Lindblad hit the barriers. When the track reopened, both Ferraris switched to Soft tyres, on which the drivers set their best times: Charles stopped the clocks in 1'44"473, good for fourth fastest, while Lewis posted 1'44"665, which put him fifth. At the end of the session, the drivers completed a longer run on Soft tyres: Leclerc completed 24 laps, one more than Hamilton, bringing the team's total for the day to 97 laps.

Charles Leclerc: We lacked some pace in the practice sessions so there is quite a lot of work to do tonight to close the gap. We will go through everything we learned today and work on making a step forward ahead of tomorrow. Hopefully we can come back stronger for qualifying on a track that I really enjoy driving.

Lewis Hamilton: It is always great to drive at this circuit and it's been a productive day overall. FP1 was encouraging and we completed a number of consistent laps and established a useful baseline to build from. There are a few areas we need to examine more closely, but we have gathered a considerable amount of data and will use tonight to understand where we can make further progress.

Tyre preparation remains an important focus, particularly in ensuring we can consistently bring them into the right operating window. That has a significant impact on both available grip and the overall balance of the car, so it will be a key priority as we prepare for tomorrow.