Monaco: Fernando Alonso crashed his Ferrari in final practice for the Monaco Grand Prix on Saturday after dominating the two previous sessions on the unforgiving street circuit.
The double world champion, twice a winner of Formula One's most glamorous race, ripped the right front wheel off the car and smashed into the barriers at Massenet on the approach to Casino square.
The Spaniard's stricken red car was then craned off the track in front of the luxury Hotel de Paris.
The accident dealt a major blow to his hopes of starting on pole position, with mechanics having to work against the clock to get the Ferrari repaired in time for qualifying that starts at 1200 GMT.
Stalking back to the garage, Alonso blamed himself for the accident and told a BBC pitlane reporter that he had simply "lost the car."
The Italian team have not won the showcase of the season since 2001 and have not started any race on pole position since 2008.
Poland's Robert Kubica was quickest in the final practice for Renault with a lap of one minute 14.806 seconds, ahead of Alonso's Brazilian team mate Felipe Massa.
Australian Mark Webber, who won in Spain last weekend for Red Bull, was third fastest with 2008 world champion Lewis Hamilton fourth for McLaren on a cloudy morning in the Mediterranean principality.
Michael Schumacher, the seven times world champion returning with Mercedes at the age of 41 after three years out, was sixth on the timesheets, behind compatriot Sebastian Vettel in a Red Bull.
The older German is chasing his sixth Monaco win to equal the record of late Brazilian Ayrton Senna.
Formula One champion and overall leader Jenson Button was 10th for McLaren and said he was struggling for grip.
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