Williams confirm damage done to Russell car in Baku incident

Williams have confirmed that George Russell's car suffered damage to enforce a change of chassis after running over a loose manhole cover in first practice for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix – an incident which saw the sessions cancelled and threw other on-track action in Baku into chaos.

As a result of the change, Russell will not be permitted to run in the second practice session – although it remains unclear whether it will go ahead on time, or at all.

The manhole cover appeared to be loosened by Charles Leclerc driving over it in the Ferrari, with Russell helpless when he followed suit as the downforce of his FW42 sucked the object into the underside of his car.

To make matters worse, the truck carrying the Williams back to the pits crashed into a low bridge at the Baku City Circuit.

Deputy team principal Claire Williams, speaking before the extent of the damage was confirmed, said questions would be asked of the circuit over the costly incident.

"The circuit needs to make sure that their drain covers are bolted down properly," she said. "That's just not acceptable.

Owing to the damage caused by the loose drain cover, #GR63's car will require a chassis change and therefore, due to regulations, he will not be able to run until #FP3 tomorrow. #AzerbaijanGP ?? pic.twitter.com/Jff27JmeWo

— ROKiT WILLIAMS RACING (@WilliamsRacing) April 26, 2019

"The damage that that can do could put us out this afternoon. We have another chassis that we might need to bring in.

"That's not what Formula 1 tracks should be. We'll be taking that up with race control."

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