George Russell quipped that his Friday in Azerbaijan went “down the drain” in the wake of striking a loose manhole cover in the opening practice session.
Russell struck a loose drain cover – caused by a break on an underside mounting point – and it caused substantial damage to his Williams FW42.
The FIA cancelled the remainder of the first practice session in order to undertake extensive checks while Williams was forced to change Russell’s chassis.
It meant Russell was unable to participate in the second practice session.
“It was just obviously a very large hit, was just shocked more than anything,” he said.
“Going down the straight I was doing normal stuff and got a big hit and obviously there was a lot of damage, the car turned off straight away because of the damage.
“It’s a real shame for all of the mechanics to repair the car and it was all down the drain after one lap.”
The incident for Russell came after a difficult period for the Briton, who has been struggling after picking up an illness after the Chinese Grand Prix.
Russell opted to cancel some commitments on Thursday in a bid to aid his recovery.
“I’m feeling better, definitely not 100 per cent, I’ve been quite up and down really,” he said.
“I had another day of rest, I’ll be in better shape tomorrow.
“I haven’t trained at all since China. I’ve just been sort of in my bed doing nothing really, I was improving, then woke up yesterday morning and felt woeful again.”
