MAX VERSTAPPEN hinted a return to form in his world championship battle with Lando Norris by setting a blistering pace in first practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Norris has cut Verstappen’s lead by 16 points over the last two races to ignite his title challenge, with the advantage now 62 points with eight races remaining.

The three-time world champion is without a win in six races and claimed after the last race in Monza that, despite his sizeable lead, his title hopes were no longer “realistic.”

But Verstappen showed signs that Red Bull have found a solution to their recent issues around the streets of Baku, setting the fastest time as he took the chequered flag to better the mark of Lewis Hamilton by 0.313 seconds.

Norris was fourth, behind the second Red Bull of Sergio Perez, almost five-tenths adrift of Verstappen.

Hamilton complained of a hot seat in his Mercedes in Monza and was again highlighting the issue over the team radio as he drove for the first time this weekend.

Despite that, Hamilton hinted at strong pace from Mercedes after they rolled back on parts of a recent upgrade to their floor.

Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who raised hopes of an unlikely title bid with victory at his team’s home race at Monza a fortnight ago, was the fastest man on track before dumping his car into the wall just over halfway through the session.

That was one of three red flags, with Williams’s Franco Colapinto also finding the barriers.

Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz finished fifth, ahead of Norris’ team-mate Oscar Piastri in sixth, with Leclerc ultimately ninth after the crash ended his running early.

British driver Oliver Bearman finished an encouraging 11th on his first full weekend in F1.

The 19-year-old from Essex, who was parachuted into Sainz’s Ferrari ahead of qualifying at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in March, is deputising for the banned Kevin Magnussen at Haas.