Azerbaijan GP

Russell's Williams shredded by Baku drain cover, FP1 cancelled

Matthew Scott Friday 26 April 2019 12:20 Updated: 12:31

Russell's Williams shredded by Baku drain cover, FP1 cancelled

George Russell's Williams suffered significant damage after running over a drain cover and shedding vast quantities of carbon fibre in first practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, with the necessary track repairs set to cause a lengthy delay to Friday's on-track action.

The session was swiftly cancelled, with checks to every drain cover on the circuit now be required, costing the teams an entire session.

It is unclear if the checks will be completed in time for FP2.

Russell's car appeared to suck the drain cover off the floor, slamming it into the underside of his car just 10 minutes or so into Friday's first session.

RED FLAG: The session is halted after George Russell encounters trouble with a drain cover and is forced to a standstill

Track repairs underway in Baku 👀#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 #F1 pic.twitter.com/eHmy7GkSln
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 26, 2019

Russell confirmed he was unharmed by the incident, although the same cannot be said for his FW42.

"I was just going down the straight on the normal line, hit a man hole cover and got the biggest smack in my boy," Russell told Sky Sports.

"The engine turned off, it ruined the floor and I'm worried for the chassis."

The farcical scenes continued as the truck carrying Russell's car back to the pits collided with a bridge, causing fluid or oil to leak over the FW42.

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Russell's Williams shredded by Baku drain cover, FP1 cancelled

Russell's Williams shredded by Baku drain cover, FP1 cancelled