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F1 Raceweek: Vettel and Leclerc - when team-mates collide

Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc collided in Brazil but they are far from the first team-mates to come together in Formula One.

By Peter Hanson
leclercvettel - Cropped

Rio de Janerio, Nov 18: The margins for error in Formula One are so small that crashes are an inevitability.

But the attention on collisions is exacerbated tenfold when they occur between team-mates, as was the case at the Brazilian Grand Prix this weekend between Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc.

Fighting it out for fourth place at Interlagos, the pair came together on lap 66 with each driver seeing their respective races ended as a result.

It was an incident that earned the ire of Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto, who said: "Free to fight doesn't mean to do silly actions - especially between the two team-mates, between the two Ferraris.

"It was simply a silly action."

But it was certainly not the first time team-mates have collided on track, and it is probably safe to say will not be the last. We have taken a look at some of the most memorable incidents here:

ALAIN PROST AND AYRTON SENNA, JAPAN, 1989

Arguably the most famous of all team-mate collisions took place at the 1989 Japanese Grand Prix when legendary duo Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna were battling for the title. Trailing Prost in the standings, Senna attempted a daring move up the inside of his McLaren team-mate. Prost held his line and the two collided. Senna managed to get going again but, despite crossing the line first, was later disqualified for cutting a chicane meaning Prost became world champion.

MIKA HAKKINEN AND DAVID COULTHARD, AUSTRIA, 1999

Some 10 years later and again it was McLaren under the microscope. With Ferrari great Michael Schumacher having broken his leg in a huge crash at Silverstone, Mika Hakkinen sought about building a lead in the drivers' standings. Leading through the first corner from pole of the Austrian Grand Prix, the Finn's chances of victory were severely dented when David Coulthard clipped his team-mate with a limp attempt to pass. Hakkinen recovered valiantly to third, but Coulthard finished second behind Eddie Irvine.

SEBASTIAN VETTEL AND MARK WEBBER, TURKEY, 2010

Vettel's incident with Leclerc was not a new experience for the German. Nine years ago in Turkey, Mark Webber was aiming for a third straight win but, while in fuel-saving mode, Vettel drew in his Red Bull team-mate only to veer into the Australian following a misjudgement and seeing his race end in a spin.

LEWIS HAMILTON AND NICO ROSBERG, SPAIN, 2016

From karting buddies growing up to fierce title rivals at Mercedes, Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg engaged in a thrilling tussle during their time as team-mates at the German constructor. A couple of years prior, the pair had made contact in Belgium but round five in Barcelona in 2016 saw the pair involved in a much bigger prang. With Rosberg in the wrong engine mode, Hamilton attempted to pass through a gap the German went to block and both were wiped out of the race.

MAX VERSTAPPEN AND DANIEL RICCIARDO, AZERBAIJAN, 2018

Another Red Bull collision, another Australian involved but this time it was Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen who were the guilty parties. The two were involved in a thrilling battle for a podium place and had already touched wheels before Ricciardo smashed the back of Verstappen's car when attempting a pass on lap 40. Both men were reprimanded over the incident.

Story first published: Monday, November 18, 2019, 22:47 [IST]
Other articles published on Nov 18, 2019