Melbourne (AP) – Sebastian Vettel was eliminated in the Formula 1 qualification for the Australian Grand Prix in the first of three sections.
After hitting the barriers in the last practice session, the four-time world champion was only able to do one fast lap in Melbourne on Saturday and only managed 18th place. His Aston Martin team only managed to get the car running again at the last second. The 34-year-old will start his first Grand Prix of the year from far behind on Sunday (7:00 a.m. CEST/Sky).
A few hours earlier, Vettel flew off the track after a driving error in the final practice session and was unable to catch his car. “I lost control, sorry,” Vettel radioed to his team. Both the front wing and the left front suspension were badly damaged.
For Vettel, the crash was the continuation of a difficult trip down under. On Friday he had already completely missed the second practice session after suffering an engine failure on his car in the first session. The Heppenheimer had missed the first two races of the year due to a coronavirus infection and is now starting the season late in Melbourne.
Vettel’s teammate Lance Stroll also dropped out in the first part of the qualification. The Canadian collided violently with his compatriot Nicholas Latifi from Williams. The two North Americans destroyed their cars in the crash, which resulted in a longer break. That’s the only reason why Vettel was still able to drive.