Today’s FP1 at Baku City Circuit was cut short due to a striking incident, which saw George Russell as its main character. The FW42 suffered significant damage on the straight down to Turn 3, as the Briton ran over a loose drain cover and ripped his car’s floor to bits.

“I just hit it and got the biggest smack through my body. I was just going down the straight on my normal line" he later told Sky Sports.

As per the regulations, the Briton will be forced to sit out of the car until FP3, as a chassis change is required following further damage evaluations and it will be scrutineered before the session on Saturday. Deputy team principal Claire Williams expressed her frustration over the matter, labelling it as ‘unacceptable’.

 “It's not what you would expect from a Formula 1 circuit, the drain covers are supposed to be welded down. We'll be taking that up with race control” she told Sky Sports.

Adding fuel to the fire, more drama hit Williams, as the car was being brought back to the pits. The crane of the recovery track made contact with a bridge, causing liquid to fall over the car.

The marshalls of the circuit are now facing a very busy afternoon checking and eventually fixing over 300 manholes across the track.

A look at the incident that brought first practice to a premature end in Baku 👀#AzerbaijanGP 🇦🇿 #F1 pic.twitter.com/VikJY5ts4M

— Formula 1 (@F1) April 26, 2019


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