Sebastian Vettel crash: Four-time world champion left red-faced after crashing Ferrari during Milan demo run

The world championship contender damaged his Ferrari after running into a barrier while showing off on a demo run on the streets of Milan city centre

Sebastian Vettel is looking to secure a prestigious Spa-Monza double this weekend to bring him right back into play in his Formula One championship battle with Lewis Hamilton, but his week in Italy got off to a disastrous start when he crashed during a demo run on the streets of Milan.

The four-time world champion was part of the Ferrari line-up that, along with Sauber, looked to light up the streets of the Italian city as part of the Formula One Milan Festival at Darsena.

Vettel and teammate Kimi Raikkonen were both in action in this year’s challenger, the Ferrari SF71H, while Sauber drivers Charles Leclerc and Marcus Ericsson were also there C37.

But it all went a bit wrong for Vettel as he ran into the barrier that marked out the track, damaging the front wing in the process, with YouTube account sportcrash71 capturing the moment he lost control of his Ferrari.

The crash is hardly a setback for Ferrari ahead of their home race at Monza as the damage is easily repairable, but it is the embarrassment of a simple demo run gone wrong that will be the hardest part for Vettel to take.

Putting the street shunt behind him, Vettel voiced his desire to take the momentum from his victory in Spa – where he overtook Hamilton on the opening lap before cruising to his fifth win of the season – into the Italian Grand Prix, where out-and-out speed is even more important than it is in Belgium given drivers spend more than 70 per cent of a single lap at full throttle.

Sebastian Vettel crashed in front of fans while on a demo run in Milan (AP)

"We have a good car that seems to work everywhere," said Vettel, who trails Hamilton by 17 points in the drivers’ championship.

"Hopefully we can now carry that momentum and speed into the next race to Monza."

Vettel was left embarrassed by a demo-run crash on Wednesday (Reuters)

Vettel has won three times at the speed citadel that is Monza, which was also the scene of his first ever victory in the Toro Rosso 10 years ago that catapulted him onto the world stage as a rising star of the sport.