Azerbaijan GP sees first practice get cancelled: Details here
The first practice session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix was cancelled after a loose manhole cover damaged George Russell's car. Briton Russell, who drives for Williams, saw his car catch the edge of the cover during Turn Two and Three. That resulted in smashing the floor of his car which ultimately led to a shut down. Here is more.
How did the incident unfold?
Russell was at high speed and ran over the cover, which had been lifted slightly by a previous car (Charles Leclerc of Ferrari). The damage led to debris getting spread across the circuit. Russell escaped unhurt, as the race stewards took the decision to abandon the session and ensure that they were all welded down in position. The session was soon cancelled officially.
Farcical scenes during the first practice session
There was more bad luck in store for Russell. The truck that was bringing Russell's car back to the pits, crashed into a bridge over the track. That in turn leaked hydraulic fluid on to Russell's car beneath. Another vehicle had to rescue the car
'I got the biggest smack through my body'
"I got the biggest smack through my body, and the whole engine turned off. It's ruined the floor and I'm a bit worried for the chassis now. We were on the normal racing line and it's completely ruined our session," said a gutted Williams driver.
Russell sits out of second practice session
Meanwhile, the second practice session started after everything was checked. But Russell sat out of the second session with his car being repaired. As per the FIA rules, the Briton will not be able to go out until FP3 on Saturday after the damage sustained to his car. "George's car will require a chassis change due to the damage," Williams issued a statement.
