WATCH: Giovinazzi and Russell both crash BEFORE Turkish GP has started amid wet conditions

There was action aplenty in Turkey before the race even started at Istanbul Park as two drivers crashed on their way to the grid on the highly slippery track surface.

First of all Antonio Giovinazzi - who had qualified 10th after getting through to Q3 for the first time this year - slid off the circuit at Turn 2 before clipping the barrier and damaging his front wing.

LIVE COVERAGE: Follow all the build up and the race itself in our Turkish Grand Prix live blog

His Alfa Romeo was beached in the gravel trap, but marshals helped him back on to the track and he was able to take his place on the grid, where his mechanics changed his front wing and prepped his car for the start of the race.

Then just moments later, George Russell was also in need of a new front wing, after he went out in his Williams before hitting the barrier at the pitlane entry.

"I crashed... I was going walking speed!" he told his engineer over the radio.

Russell was able to keep going and drove into the pitlane with his front wing dragging underneath the car. He pulled up at the Williams' box where the team changed the broken part - though he will now start the race from the pitlane.

Williams then confirmed that they had also opted to start Russell's team mate Nicholas Latifi from the pitlane.

Elsewhere, Pierre Gasly will have to start from the back of the grid after AlphaTauri requested, but then failed to carry out, a full power unit change on the Frenchman’s AT01.

READ MORE: Gasly to start from back of the grid in Istanbul after parc ferme breach