I just hit it, says Williams' British driver George Russell

Technicians remove the damaged car of Williams' driver George Russell during the first practice session in Baku yesterday. Pic/AFP

A loose drain cover brought an early end to the Friday's first practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after George Russell ran over it and damaged the underside of his Williams.

Only 12 of the session's 90 minutes had elapsed when Russell, rocketing down one of the track's ultra-fast straights, struck the dislodged manhole cover, destroying the floor of his car in a shower of debris.
The 21-year-old was unhurt. But needing a new chassis, he sat out the second of Friday's two sessions as a result. The soonest he can to the track will be today's final hour of practice running before qualifying, the team said.

The lack of track time could prove costly for Russell on his first visit as a Formula One driver to the unforgiving Baku street track, even if he did win at the venue last year when driving in feeder series Formula Two.

George Russell

"I just hit it, the biggest shock went through my body. The whole engine just turned off, it's ruined the floor," said Russell.

"It was just on the normal racing line and has ruined my session."

The session was called off as organisers and track officials worked to check over 300 manhole covers and carry out repairs in time for Friday's second session which got underway as scheduled.

The mobile crane carrying Russell's Williams back to the pits also struck the underside of a sponsor hoarding spanning the track, leaking fluid onto the car.

Replays showed Ferrari's Charles Leclerc running over the cover, potentially dislodging it, just before Russell.

Championship leader Lewis Hamilton, winner in Baku last year, didn't seem to mind the lack of track time.

"How could hey have not checked and sealed the drains?" asked the Mercedes driver on his Instagram feed.

"Oh well, just gives me extra time to catch up on Game of Thrones," added the Briton, who has been binge-watching the popular fantasy series.

The second of Friday's two sessions ran to the full scheduled 90 minutes. Leclerc topped the timesheets ahead of team-mate Sebastian Vettel who completed a one-two for Ferrari.

The Italian team, under pressure to reel in rivals Mercedes who have scored one-two finishes in each of the season's three races, appeared to be the early favourites.

Hamilton was third quickest, 0.669 seconds slower than Leclerc.

There were two more red flags in the second session, with Racing Point's Lance Stroll and Toro Rosso birthday boy Daniil Kvyat both clouting the barriers.

Several drivers also spun or ran wide onto the run-offs as they got to grips with the unforgiving street track.

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