Williams calls it a day in Bahrain after fire damage

Williams has announced that it will take no further part in Friday's running in Bahrain as its FW44 remains under repair following the damage sustained by the car in this morning's session.

A case of overheating brakes that ignited a fire at the rear of the FW44 forced Nicholas Latifi to park the car to allow track marshals to extinguish the flames.

The incident brought out the red flag during the session which allowed the stricken car to be loaded on a flat bed and returned to the Williams garage.

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Unfortunately, part of the Williams' rear suspension and many of its components were consumed by the flames which required a lengthy repair job by the British outfit's crews that spelled the end of the day's running for the team.

"Repairs are underway on the FW44," read a short statement from the team.

"We will not take part in the remainder of today’s running but look forward to hitting the track for the final day of testing here tomorrow."

Latifi, who managed only 12 laps this morning, was due to drive for the entire duration of Friday's session, but the Canadian will split driving duties with teammate Alex Albon on Saturday.

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