Formula 1 testing has been halted for the second time in as many days due to a broken drain cover at the Bahrain International Circuit.
The final day of pre-season running was halted half an hour after it began as the debris appeared on the approach to turn 11, a high-speed left-hand turn.
The same stretch of track was the scene of a similar problem less than 24 hours earlier (pictured) which also brought testing to a stop. Thursday’s early session was cut short by more than hour for track repairs after Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton ran over a loose drain cover.
Red Bull driver Sergio Perez appeared to dislodge a drain cover on the same stretch of kerbing at turn 11 when he took a wide line into the left-hand corner on Friday. The session was red-flagged moments later.
During the stoppage Red Bull chief technical officer Adrian Newey inspected the floor of Perez’s RB20 for damage. Ferrari replaced the floor on Leclerc’s car yesterday after a drain cover punched a hole in it.
FIA F1 race director Niels Wittich visited the scene of the incident to observe the ongoing repair work. Track workers are attempting to weld the covers into place to prevent them being pulled up again. The FIA have not indicated when the session will be resumed.
In the meantime several drivers are missing their final opportunities to test before the new season begins at the track next week. All bar one of the teams intend to run both drivers today, swapping between them at lunch time.
All 10 drivers participating in the early session had completed at least an installation lap when it was stopped. Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jnr was the early pace setter, posting a 1’31.247 on C4 tyres and completed 11 laps over the opening 30 minutes.
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Formula 1
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