The battle for the 2009 Formula One world championship was thrown up in the air Saturday after five drivers were each handed a five-place grid penalty after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The battle for the 2009 Formula One world championship was thrown up in the air Saturday after five drivers were each handed a five-place grid penalty after qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix.
The five, including championship leading Briton Jenson Button and his Brawn GP team-mate Brazilian Rubens Barrichello, were penalised for not slowing down while yellow flags for caution were shown during the qualifying session.
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Button had qualified in seventh, Barrichello in fifth, Alonso in 12th, Sutil in fourth and Buemi in 10th.
All were given five-place penalties, the first four for not lifting off during yellow flags and Buemi for driving back to the pits in his damaged car after the accident that caused the yellows.
On top of these penalties, it is understood that Finn Heikki Kovalainen of McLaren and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi were also given five place penalties for gearbox changes.
German Timo Glock, who crashed heavily in his Toyota, may also be given a five-place penalty if he is deemed fit to race after recovering from a gashed left leg. With three races remaining, including Japan, in the 17-leg world championship Button tops the drivers' standings on 84pts with Barrichello second on 69 and Sebastian Vettel of Germany, in a Red Bull, third on 59.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel kept his slim world title hopes alive when he took pole. The Red Bull driver clocked a scorching fastest lap in the final minute of qualifying.
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