Vettel’s Japan F1 training mishap

Current Formula One Grand Prix world champion Sebastian Vettel, 24, had an accident during the first free training for the Grand Prix of Japan.

German Red Bull F1 pilot Vettel said: “It was an unnecessary mistake. It was a good wake-up call for the weekend though. I veered off the track and tried to slow the car. I touched the wall lightly and damaged the car a little. That got our plans mixed up but in the afternoon it went well.”

Vettel who leads the overall F1 world ranking with 309 points came in third place in the afternoon training and another training on the same Suzuka circuit. All he needs to become youngest double-world champion is one point, meaning one tenth place or better. He said: “That one point is missing and first of all we have to get that.”

Second in the overall world rankings with 185 points is British Formula One pilot Jenson Button, 31, McLaren, who won the training in Japan in which Vettel had the accident but would still need 124 points to overtake him in the overall rankings.

The next chance to work on that will be the Grand Prix of South Korea a week later.