F1: Source Confirms Adjusted Suzuka Grid

Formula 1

F1: Source Confirms Adjusted Suzuka Grid

An FIA source has confirmed that we have done our sums and have got the correct grid for Sunday’s Japanese GP...

Adam Cooper | http://www.speedtv.com | Posted October 03, 2009 Suzuka (JPN)

The fallout from the chaotic qualifying session at Suzuka continued late into the night Saturday. (Photo: LAT Photographic)

Further to our earlier story, an FIA source – indeed one of the best possible FIA sources – has confirmed that we have done our sums and have got the correct grid for Sunday’s Japanese GP.

The key to it is the order in which the offenses were committed. Each is considered one by one and the grid reset each time.

Crucially, the FIA has deemed them to have been committed in the order Alonso, Barrichello, Button, Sutil and Buemi. The Swiss driver has apparently been considered to have held up drivers who had already passed the yellow flag.

The only doubt is that on Sunday morning the FIA will take a closer look at the exact point when Sebastien Buemi impeded Robert Kubica at the chicane.

It may prove that Buemi is in fact the fourth offender, and Sutil the sixth. That will make a small change to the final outcome.

In addition to Saturday’s published offenses from Q2 we have also added gearbox penalties for Tonio Liuzzi and Heikki Kovalainen, and a chassis change for Mark Webber.

Timo Glock will definitely not start, says our source, and there is no chance that Kamui Kobayashi will replace him.

If Buemi stays as the final offender we believe that the grid will look like this:

1 Vettel
2 Trulli
3 Hamilton
4 Heidfeld
5 Raikkonen
6 Barrichello
7 Sutil
8 Rosberg
9 Button
10 Kubica
11 Kovalainen
12 Buemi
13 Alguersuari
14 Fisichella
15 Nakajima
16 Alonso
17 Grosjean
18 Liuzzi
Pit lane: Webber

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