Sebastian Vettel unhurt after crashing Ferrari during testing ahead of Formula 1 season

A mechanical problem caused Sebastian Vettel to crash his Ferrari on the sixth day of Formula 1 testing in Barcelona.

The German went straight on at Turn Three and ploughed into the barriers. He was taken to the medical centre but Ferrari quickly tweeted to say the four-time world champion was unhurt.

The team then confirmed the incident was caused by a mechanical issue and added: “The car is now in the garage for all the needed checks.”

Ferrari impressed in the initial days of testing, with their car looking a step ahead of rivals Mercedes, but Tuesday’s session was marred by a problem with the cooling systems during Charles Leclerc’s scheduled time at the wheel.

Vettel managed 40 laps before his crash and was second fastest on Wednesday morning behind McLaren’s Carlos Sainz.

PA