Baku GP: Practice 1 abandoned because of loose manhole cover (Update)
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| George Russell |
UPDATE Williams Formula 1 team driver George Russell will miss second Azerbaijan Grand Prix practice because his practice one collision with a loose manhole cover cracked his chassis.
04/26/19 George Russell ran over a loose drain cover and severely damaged his Williams in Free Practice 1 for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that brought out a red flag after 12 minutes as track repairs were needed.
With Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc having appeared to dislodge the drain cover after driving his SF90 over it, Russell then ran over the raised metal cover himself, causing a shower of debris to dramatically fly off his Williams FW42 before he quickly brought the car to a stop.
Race officials quickly made the decision to suspend the session as track repairs were carried out, with none of the runners managing any meaningful laps before the red flags were flown.
Practice 1 Results
| POS | NO | DRIVER | CAR | TIME | GAP | LAPS |
| 1 | 16 | Charles Leclerc | Ferrari | 1:47.497 | +0.000s | 5 |
| 2 | 5 | Sebastian Vettel | Ferrari | 1:49.598 | +2.101s | 4 |
| 3 | 8 | Romain Grosjean | Haas Ferrari | – | – | 1 |
| 4 | 4 | Lando Norris | McLaren Renault | – | – | 1 |
| 5 | 33 | Max Verstappen | Red Bull Racing Honda | – | – | 1 |
| 6 | 20 | Kevin Magnussen | Haas Ferrari | – | – | 1 |
| 7 | 55 | Carlos Sainz | McLaren Renault | – | – | 1 |
| 8 | 99 | Antonio Giovinazzi | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | – | – | 1 |
| 9 | 26 | Daniil Kvyat | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | – | – | 1 |
| 10 | 88 | Robert Kubica | Williams Mercedes | – | – | 1 |
| 11 | 63 | George Russell | Williams Mercedes | – | – | 3 |
| 12 | 23 | Alexander Albon | Scuderia Toro Rosso Honda | – | – | 1 |
| 13 | 3 | Daniel Ricciardo | Renault | – | – | 1 |
| 14 | 27 | Nico Hulkenberg | Renault | – | – | 1 |
| 15 | 10 | Pierre Gasly | Red Bull Racing Honda | – | – | 1 |
| 16 | 7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Alfa Romeo Racing Ferrari | – | – | 1 |
| 17 | 11 | Sergio Perez | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | – | – | 1 |
| 18 | 18 | Lance Stroll | Racing Point BWT Mercedes | – | – | 1 |
Note – session ended early for track repairs after loose drain cover caused damage to Russell's Williams