F1: Vettel unhurt after big crash in Sochi qualifying

A truck transports the car of Ferrari’s German driver Sebastian Vettel following a crash during the qualifying session for the Formula One Russian Grand Prix at the Sochi Autodrom Circuit in Sochi on September 26, 2020. (Photo by Pavel Golovkin / POOL / AFP)

Sebastian Vettel climbed out unhurt from his Ferrari on Saturday after crashing heavily during the second part of qualifying for Sunday’s Russian Grand Prix.

The session was red-flagged to a halt after the four-time champion’s shunt, leaving runaway championship leader Lewis Hamilton in a perilous 15th place with just over two minutes remaining.

Replays showed that the German driver, in his final season with Ferrari, clipped a kerb at Turn Four and lost control as he smacked into the barriers.

On his walk back to the pits he picked up a wing of his car that had fallen off and helpfully handed it back to the team of officials clearing his stricken car from the circuit.

“I lost (control) of the car on (turn) four, I was struggling in the first sector,” Vettel told Sky.

Once Q2 eventually resumed Hamilton managed to put in a lap to get through to the top 10 shoot-out with the fourth quickest time but missing from Q1 were both Ferraris with Vettel’s teammate Charles Leclerc knocked out in 11th place.