BAKU, Azerbaijan -- Valtteri Bottas topped the opening practice session ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as Max Verstappen's scrappy start to the season continued with another accident.
Mercedes and Red Bull traded fastest laps at the top of the timesheets for most of the session, but Verstappen eliminated himself from the battle midway through when he crashed at Turn 5. The Red Bull driver, who is under pressure after mistakes at all three races this year, lost control of the rear of his car under braking before slamming sideways into the barriers.
Although a number of drivers ran wide or locked tyres during the session, Verstappen was the only one to make contact with the wall and paid the price by missing out on the second half of the session.