Vettel ‘cements’ F1 stature with ‘legendary’ crash

MONTREAL—Sebastian Vettel is in the company of the great drivers in Formula One history—not just by winning the 2010 world championship, but also by crashing into the legendary “Wall of Champions” at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Vettel had his practice run at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit cut short after only eight laps on Friday when he lost control on the 14th turn and hit the same wall that earned its nickname after F1 champions Jacques Villeneuve, Michael Schumacher and Damon Hill all left their mark on it.

Vettel, who has won five of the first six races this year, did not appear to be hurt. He got out of the car on his own and walked to the safety van. The car was lifted by a crane and removed from the course.

The runaway leader in Formula One this season, with a 58-point lead over second-place Lewis Hamilton of McLaren, Vettel was trying to navigate a quick right-left combination—the final one on the circuit—when he skidded and hit the wall with the right front tire. Debris from his car was scattered over the track, bringing practice to a brief halt.

Vettel returned to practice for the afternoon session.

Mexican driver Sergio Perez, who was hospitalized after crashing during qualifying at Monaco, withdrew from the race and was replaced by Pedro de la Rosa. Perez had been cleared to drive in Montreal after recovering from a concussion and leg injury, but the Sauber F1 team said that Perez “reported feeling unwell” after Friday morning practice and it was decided he should “miss one race on grounds of safety.” AP