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Formula 1

F1 testing hit by red flag for broken drain cover

It is the first red flag of pre-season testing mid-way through the morning session on Day 2.

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Day 2 of pre-season Formula 1 testing has been hit by a red flag after a drain cover broke at Turn 11.

Just after the two-hour mark of the session, a red flag was thrown for no apparent reason with no car stopped on track or obvious debris visible.

However, it quickly became clear that a drain on the outside of the entry to Turn 11 had broken - with a gap visible in the drain.

Drivers had been running wide on the entrance into Turn 11 to swing into the left-hander, with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari dislodging the cover.

As next car through, Lewis Hamilton then broke the cover when his Mercedes ran over it, with Leclerc then collecting the debris on his next lap.

The session was suspended to allow for a track inspection as Ferrari and Mercedes inspected their cars to check for damage.

Leclerc sits atop the times under the suspension on a 1:31.750 effort, with Hamilton in sixth.

F1 2024 pre-season testing RN365 News dossier

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