Promoter says Williams will be compensated

George Russell

(GMM) Azerbaijan GP promoter Arif Rahimov says Williams will be compensated for damage to George Russell's chassis.

Russell's car was destroyed in Friday practice, when he ran over a loose manhole cover on the high speed street circuit.

Claire Williams said the British team would talk to the FIA about compensation.

"As a street track, there are more than 300 of these covers and we checked all of them several days before the weekend," race promoter Rahimov was quoted by Ria Novosti news agency.

Rahimov said the manhole that came loose was rusted from underneath and therefore was "impossible to notice visually".

"These things happen, as they did also in Monaco and China and Malaysia, so it even happens on normal circuits," he said.

"We have apologized several times to the Williams team. The damage will be reimbursed by insurance. We don't yet know what amount we are talking about, but it will definitely be covered," Rahimov added.