When the Canadian GP's early chequered flag could have been useful

A fairly predictable Canadian Grand Prix provided some late drama when supermodel Winnie Harlow waved the chequered flag a lap early.

Fortunately it did not matter to Ferrari driver Sebastian Vettel, who had a comfortable lead for a win that sent him to the top of the Formula One drivers' standings.

Daniel Ricciardo was not so lucky, though, as the premature flag meant his fastest lap was wiped out by the FIA and the award instead went to his Red Bull team-mate Max Verstappen.

Here, we look back at times when some sports stars or teams could have done with bringing a finish forward.

BACK TO MONTREAL

Nigel Mansell would have welcomed an early chequered flag at the 1991 Canadian Grand Prix. The Briton had a large lead on the last lap but suddenly stopped at the hairpin, with Nelson Piquet overtaking him to claim the top step of the podium. It is said Williams driver Mansell was guilty of celebrating too soon and stalled his car, meaning he was classified sixth.

HALEP HUMBLED

Simona Halep was a set and a break up and seemingly heading for her first grand slam title in the 2017 French Open final against Jelena Ostapenko. The unseeded Latvian's aggressive approach produced some remarkable winners that enabled her to turn the match around and clinch a 4-6 6-4 6-3 victory in astonishing fashion, having fought from a break down in the third too.

FALCONS CLIPPED

The Atlanta Falcons led Super Bowl LI 21-3 at half-time and extended their advantage over the New England Patriots to 19 points in the third quarter. But, somehow, the Pats, inspired by legendary quarterback Tom Brady, fought back and Danny Amendola's two-point conversion with less than a minute to play forced overtime for the first time in the event's history. New England went on to complete an unlikely 34-28 win.

A MIRACLE IN BARCELONA

Mario Basler's free-kick gave Bayern Munich a first-half lead in the 1999 Champions League final against Manchester United and as the clocked ticked past 90 minutes it looked set to be enough for the German side to win the trophy for a fourth time. United had other ideas, though. Substitutes Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer notched dramatic stoppage-time goals to take Alex Ferguson's team from the brink of defeat to the ecstasy of an unprecedented treble.

THE SHARK IS SUNK

When Greg Norman stepped up to the first tee at Augusta National on Sunday, April 14 in 1996 he held a six-shot lead over playing partner Nick Faldo. Norman had won two majors but finished as a runner-up at six others and he had to settle for second once again as he carded a six-over 78 that included five bogeys and two double bogeys. Faldo, meanwhile, went five under to claim a third green jacket.

BRATHWAITE BLASTS STOKES

With West Indies requiring 19 runs off their final over to beat England and win the 2016 World Twenty20, things only seemed to be going one way. Ben Stokes was the man selected to provide the final deliveries and he was cruelly overpowered by a relentless Carlos Brathwaite, who brutally launched four successive maximums to give the Windies the title in Kolkata.

FROCH STEALS IT

Defending WBC super-middleweight champion Carl Froch was knocked down by former undisputed middleweight king Jermain Taylor in the third round of their title fight in Mashantucket. Taylor controlled the early stages but could not hold on as Froch sent him to the canvas with 45 seconds remaining. 'The Cobra' unleashed a flurry of punches when Taylor got back to his feet and referee Mike Ortega gave him the stoppage with 14 seconds left.

ALLEN INFLICTS AGONY

The San Antonio Spurs were just under 12 seconds away from winning the 2013 NBA Finals when LeBron James attempted to force overtime with a deep three-pointer. He was unable to hit it, but Chris Bosh grabbed the rebound and passed to Ray Allen as he backtracked towards the corner. Allen, one of the greatest three-point shooters in history, succeeded where James failed and tied the game at 95-95 with 5.2 seconds left. Game seven was forced and the Heat came out on top in the decider to win a second straight title.