Norman Nato had the honour of topping the first competitive racing session to take place on the Baku City Circuit as the GP💛2 drivers found their limit around the tricky street venue.

As expect🌱ed, the 6km track - with its blend of tight, slow sections and a long home straight - proved difficult to master over just 45mins with several drivers experiencing off-track moments and spins, even if there were no major incidents.

With Turn 16 - the final slow corner before the 2km run down to the first corner - and T1 proving particularly tricky due to the high coastal wind⛎s, there were no notable incidents through the already notorious T8-T12 complex.

Even so, several Virtual Safety Car periods would pepper the session, with Racing Engineering's Nato getting his fastest time in just before the final session-endin💙g slow period to clear Norbert Matsushita's ART car, which had become stricken in the escape road.

Rookie Anto🍃nio Giovinazzi was second quickest, four tenths adrift, while 𒐪Sergey Sirotkin - pole sitter last time out around the streets of Monaco - was third best despite a spin.

Pierre Gasly and Oliver Rowland completed the top five, ahead of Luca Ghiotto and Jordan King, the British driver involved in a startling moment early on when🎀 he went off at turn 15 to find a van stationed in the escape road.

Indeed, Turn 15 - identified by many F1 drivers as arguably the most challenging with an escape road that turns away from the bend - would catch many 🐼out, not least its narrowness, which prevented most from getting their cars turned back around without assistance.