Williams F1 rookie driver Franco Colapinto faced a frustrating moment during the FP1 session at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, causing the third red flag of the day. It came just moments after Charles Leclerc’s massive crash at Turn 15.
Notably, while tackling Turn 4, Colapinto lost control of his car’s rear and slid broadside into the barrier. Despite the relatively low speed of the incident, the impact was significant, heavily damaging the rear-left of his vehicle. This mishap was unfortunate for Colapinto, who was sitting 13th on the timesheets, just ahead of Alex Albon, with 16 minutes left in the session.
Here is the video:
These crashes not only cost valuable track time for Franco Colapinto but also for the entire field. A total of 21 minutes of running had already been lost in the earlier incidents, and the session remained disrupted as the medical car arrived to attend to Colapinto.
Thankfully, he walked away without major injuries, but the damage to his car marked a frustrating end to his session. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton retained his position as the fastest on the track, leading ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri.
Charles Leclerc locks up at Turn 15!
The FP1 session had already seen drama earlier when Charles Leclerc crashed out at Turn 15. The Ferrari driver had been topping the timesheets, missed the apex and locked up, smashing into the wall. While Leclerc was able to walk away unharmed, his crash brought back memories of the infamous collision between Sebastian Vettel and Hamilton at the same corner during the 2017 race.
Leclerc later explained that he had taken some dirt on the outside of the corner, causing him to lose control. Both crashes underscored the tricky conditions on the tight, fast street circuit in Baku, where even the slightest mistake can have costly consequences.
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