OCTOBER 18, 2008

Heidfeld moves back to ninth

Nick Heidfeld has been bumped back to ninth on the grid after the FIA Stewards intervened once again and and ruled that the German had got in the way of David Coulthard's Red Bull late in the Q1 session. The two men were both trying to ensure that they moved through to the Q2 session. Coulthard complained that he had been slowed down by Heidfeld's manoeuvre and that this had caused him to miss out. The stewards took several hours to reach a conclusion - which is odd given that one of the reasons given for the removal of permanent steward Tony Scott Andrews at the end of last year was that decision took too long. The decision does not help Coulthard at all as he remains in 15th place but it does move Sebastian Vettel, Jarno Trulli and Sebastien Bourdais up one place on the grid.

Heidfeld was given another three-place penalty just two races ago in Singapore but some others have had five-place penalties.