Russell singled out Turns Five, Seven and 17, where Hamilton’s team-mate Charles Leclerc went off into the run-off area during practice.

“Another element of the challenge here, which probably won’t cause major crashes, but I think there’ll be a lot of lock-ups,” said Russell.

“You’ve got three corners where you’re turning and braking, and if you lock up, the wall is right in front of you, which is very reminiscent of the corner in Baku – Turn 15.”

There is also a section of high-speed swerves, Russell said, which is similar to the fast Jeddah street track in Saudi Arabia.

Ferrari set the pace on the medium tyres in the first part of Friday’s opening session but they could not match the pace of the Mercedes on the soft compound.

Leclerc was third fastest – 0.459secs off Russell and just ahead of Hamilton – with Red Bull’s Max Verstappen fifth and McLaren’s Lando Norris’ sixth.

Racing Bulls’ Arvid Lindblad, Mclaren’s Oscar Piastri, Audi’s Nico Hulkenberg and Red Bull’s Liam Lawson completed the top 10.