Leclerc damage revealed after drain cover disaster

Ferrari were forced to change the floor of Charles Leclerc's car after it suffered severe damage during Thursday’s morning testing session.

After getting a single session under his belt on Wednesday, setting the seventh-fastest time overall and completing 64 laps, Leclerc returned to the cockpit for Thursday's morning session.

Leclerc set the pace during the morning session, banking a 1:31.750, over half a second quicker than McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Williams' Logan Sargeant.

But the morning session - and everyone else's - ended early after a drain cover came loose at Turn 11, with Leclerc and his future Ferrari teammate Lewis Hamilton running over it before the red flag came out.

Floor change during the extended break

The red flag that ended the morning session has caused the second day’s schedule to be reshuffled, with the afternoon session now taking place at 14:00 Bahrain time rather than 15:00.

The teams will now get an extra hour of running, with the session beginning in the daytime and ending at night.

During the extended lunch break, Ferrari’s mechanics got to work and replaced Leclerc’s floor, getting the Monegasque out in time for the afternoon session.

"Following Charles' accident this morning when he drove over a drain cover, the floor was damaged, and we have now changed it," confirmed a Ferrari spokesperson.

This isn’t the first time Ferrari have had a car damaged by a part of the circuit. Leclerc’s current Ferrari teammate, Carlos Sainz, had his car destroyed during FP1 for the Las Vegas Grand Prix after also running over a manhole cover.

READ MORE: F1 Testing Results: Verstappen sets the pace on HECTIC first day

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

Lewis Hamilton back with Angela Cullen for intense training during F1 summer break

• 1 hour ago

F1 News Today: Aston Martin dark web data revealed as insider drops major Alonso update

• 3 hours ago

FIA penalty points update delivered to Charles Leclerc and another F1 rival during summer break

• 32 minutes ago

Lewis Hamilton's eighth F1 title is ON as 'major' Ferrari upgrades revealed

• Yesterday 20:57

Ferrari boss warns Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc over behaviour ahead of F1 title fight

• Yesterday 13:57

Charles Leclerc fires F1 title fight warning and it's bad news for Lewis Hamilton

• August 10, 2026 20:58