Formula One made its debut in Azerbaijan on Friday with some immediate teething problems and Mercedes's triple world champion Lewis Hamilton fastest in practice around the Baku street circuit.

Hamilton, who had not inspected the track beforehand because he wanted it to be a completely fresh experience in the car, lapped in 1 minute 46.435 seconds in the first session.

The Briton, winner of the last two races and now only nine points adrift of team mate and championship leader Nico Rosberg after seven of 21 rounds, improved that to 1:44.223 later on.

Rosberg was second in both sessions, ending the day early after stopping on track following a loss of power with some 20 minutes remaining.

Sunday's race is billed as the European Grand Prix, a designation that has previously been given to circuits in Germany, Britain and Spain rather than a country at the crossroads of Asia and Europe.