A malfunctioning drain cover resulted in the second day’s morning session of Formula 1 pre-season testing being shortened by one hour, with plans to compensate with an additional hour of activity in the afternoon.
The second-morning session of Formula 1’s pre-season testing was halted and will not continue due to a damaged drain cover.
The disruption occurred shortly after the session had been underway for two hours when the track was suddenly flagged with red flags. The cause was not immediately clear until it was revealed that a drain cover had come loose at Turn 11.
Footage later revealed that the drain cover was initially disturbed by Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari, followed by Lewis Hamilton driving over the affected area. Both vehicles were examined, revealing no harm had been done.
During the halt, the track was thoroughly inspected, leading to the FIA’s decision to shorten the morning session by an hour, moving the lunch break to 13:00-14:00 local time, thereby advancing it by an hour.
To offset the lost time, the afternoon session will now extend for an additional hour, running from 14:00 until 19:00 local time, which corresponds to 11:00 am-4:00 pm in the UK.
Charles Leclerc topped the timing charts for Ferrari in the session, with further details on the pre-red flag track activity available for reading elsewhere.
