Drain cover issue cuts short first session in Baku
Baku, April 26, AZERTAC
George Russell running over a loose drain cover limited running in Free Practice 1 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix to just 12 minutes, before the session was suspended to allow track repairs to be effected.
With Charles Leclerc having appeared to dislodge the cover after driving over it in his Ferrari SF90, Russell then ran over the raised metal cover himself, causing a shower of debris to dramatically fly off his Williams FW42 before he brought the car to a stop.
Race officials quickly made the decision to end the session so that track repairs could be carried out, with none of the runners managing any meaningful laps before the red flags were flown - while Williams later confirmed that Russell would require a new chassis as a result of the damage to his car.
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