Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel

British driver Jenson Button set the pace in Turkish Grand Prix practice on Friday while Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel crashed in the morning and missed the entire second session.

Vettel, the championship leader after winning two of the first three races, gave his Red Bull mechanics plenty of extra work after spinning into the barriers at the rain-soaked Istanbul Park circuit.

The 23-year-old German, who has been on pole position for the past four races, spun at the exit of the challenging triple apex turn eight.

The session was red flagged with 27 minutes remaining, with marshals clearing mud off the track while the battered Red Bull was hoisted onto a flatbed truck and brought back to the pitlane.

"There was some water on the exit. There was nothing I could do," he said over the team radio after his car skidded down the barriers to a halt.

The damage was extensive and Vettel was a mere spectator in the afternoon when the sun made a weak appearance and temperatures rose notably. He will now go into the weekend with no dry weather mileage under his belt.