With the FIA having worked out the application of the numerous penalties handed out after qualifying, the result is that Button will start the Suzuka race from 10th on the grid, four places behind Brawn team-mate Rubens Barrichello.

But worse than being so far adrift of his championship rival, is the fact that between Barrichello and Button are two one-stopping cars Nico Rosberg and Robert Kubica.

Furthermore, Heikki Kovalainen’s KERS-equipped McLaren will be starting alongside Button on the clean side of the circuit, so there is a chance that the Briton will lose a further place away from the grid.

Button needs to score five more points than Barrichello to clinch the title in Japan and prevent the battle being taken to the next race in Brazil.

The penalties handed out after qualifying are always applied in the order in which they were committed. The fact that Barrichello committed his offence of ignoring yellow flags before Button and Sutil means that he has lucked in to effectively losing just one place on the grid.

Pos Driver Weight (kg)
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 658.5
2. Trulli Toyota 655.5
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 656.0
4. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber 660.0
5. Raikkonen Ferrari 661.0
6. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes 660.5 *
7. Rosberg Williams-Toyota 684.5
8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes 650.0 *
9. Kubica BMW-Sauber 686.0
10. Button Brawn-Mercedes 658.5 *
11. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes 675.0 **
12. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 682.5
13. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 665.4 *
14. Fisichella Ferrari 661.5
15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota 695.7
16. Alonso Renault 689.5 *
17. Grosjean Renault 691.8
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes 682.5 **
19. Webber Red Bull-Renault – ***
20. Glock Toyota – ****

* Five-place grid penalty
** Five-place grid penalty for changing gearbox
*** New chassis so will start from the pitlane
**** Will not start due to injury

Source: Autosport.com

The aerodynamic strengths of Red Bull’s RB5 chassis has allowed Vettel to take pole position, but his team-mate Mark Webber will be forced to start from the pit lane after damaging his car in a Saturday morning practice accident.

Horner says that the team will not be worrying about the championship implications – the plan is purely to go out and fight.

“It’s a Red Bull sandwich,” said Horner. “We’ve got to attack the race from both ends of the grid, just go for it and do the best we can.

“We saw in qualifying that there were quite a lot of incidents, so who knows what the race will throw at us?”

The spate of accidents that marred qualifying has highlighted the challenges of the Suzuka circuit – and makes it likely that Sunday’s race will be incident-filled.

Horner thinks that the nature of the track, allied to the fact that drivers lost a day of dry running on Friday, explains why there were so many crashes.

“I think it’s just one of those days with not a great deal of time for drivers to get their eye,” he said. “There was a lot of pressure going into qualifying, so perhaps that contributed to it. And it’s an unforgiving track. Sebastian was fortunate to do two sessions in the BMW in 2006 and that stood him in good stead.”

Source: Autosport.com

The 27-year-old German sustained a deep cut in the back of his lower left leg, and was flown to hospital following his accident on the exit of the chicane during Q2.

And while Toyota initially hoped Glock would be fit enough to race in Japan, it has been decided that he should wait a fortnight before driving the car again.

“It should be quite easy for Brazil,” he explained on Sunday morning, having returned to the circuit. “The problem at the moment is that I don’t have pain when I put pressure on the leg.

“It is [more] the cut that does not give me the flexibility I need, and I think in two or three days it already should be a big step.

“Already from yesterday, I could not walk. Today I can walk. So in two or three days it should be much better, and in 10 days it should be okay. So Brazil should not be a problem.

“The cut is exactly across the back of my leg, behind the knee,” he added. “It is six centimetres long. It was across the leg, which is the main problem, as it was quite open. It is also quite deep, so overall I am lucky that there was no damage to muscles or ligaments. They just closed it with 14 stitches and that is it.

“At the end of the day we tried everything overnight, in terms of physiotherapy to get it more flexible, but the problem is that I cannot just stretch it completely due to the cut and the stitches.

“In the end we worked until 2am tonight, and my physio did quite a nice job. But in the end, it is not possible to drive.”

Glock admitted that the accident was caused by his own mistake and dismissed speculation that he may have encountered a problem with his steering wheel.

“That is wrong,” he said. “Everything on the car was okay, 100 percent, unfortunately it was my mistake.

“It was just a mistake on my side. I had a bit of oversteer out of the last chicane and tried to take as much speed as possible out of the last corner. I opened the steering wheel, because I saw I was on a good time for Q2, and I just opened the steering wheel and at the last moment tried to turn back again.

“Then I misjudged around 50 centimetres – I thought I was half a metre to the right, but I wasn’t. Then I just touched the grass slightly with the front left wheel and then the car just took off and I had no chance.”

Source: Autosport.com

Glock was airlifted to hospital after he sustained a 5cm cut on his lower left leg and reported back pain when he crashed into the outside barrier running wide on the exit of the chicane.

Though X-Rays revealed no serious injuries, the team said in statement that it had decided to rest Glock to ensure he is fully fit for the Brazilian Grand Prix in two weeks time.

The team confirmed that it had applied for permission for reserve driver Kamui Kobayashi to race, after the Japanese rookie had stood in for Glock during Friday practice when the German had a cold. But Toyota’s application was rejected by race stewards due to a regulation which states that a driver must participate in at least one practice session on the second day of the event.

“Together with my physio I tried everything to be fit for the Japanese Grand Prix but in the end it is not possible for me to race,” said Glock. “It is a pity to miss Toyota’s home race and I’m annoyed that this happened.

“I want to say thanks to my car crew because they worked all night to fix the damage and get it ready for the race. They did a great job but unfortunately I can’t race, however I am sure I will be back in Brazil.”

Source: Autosport.com

The Brawn GP duo, plus Fernando Alonso and Adrian Sutil, were all demoted five places on the grid for the Suzuka race after they failed to slow down through a yellow flag zone in Q2 caused by Sebastien Buemi crashing on the exit of Spoon Corner.

That stewards’ decision moves Barrichello and Button provisionally down to 10th and 12th position on the grid, and the British driver admitted late on Saturday night that the situation now makes it unlikely he will take the points he needs to be champion on Sunday.

“It possibly could happen tomorrow, but that is not the way I am looking at it,” Button explained. “I am looking at it as any other race – as it is. It is another race.

“If I was able to win the championship, something would seriously have to go wrong with the other drivers – so I am not expecting it. I go into tomorrow just looking forward to scoring points and finishing as high as I can.”

Button believes he was correct in not lifting when going through the incident, but he fully respects the reasons why the race stewards punished him.

“From my point of view I did the right thing,” he said. “I took avoiding action and when I saw the yellow flag, it was just before where the incident was with the front wing. I moved to one side.

“I thought, for me, it was unsafe to lift off because there could have been a car behind and you also don’t want to be moving across the circuit at high speed and lifting. Then, as soon as I passed the front wing I saw the green flag down the circuit, so I knew it was clear – and kept my foot in. That was it.

“The regulations say that you have to slow down enough and you have to lift off the throttle, which I didn’t do. So I got penalised. I respect their decision, but for me at that moment in time it was the best thing to do in that one second to make my decision. But I respect the decision.

“I am down in 12th, Rubens is just in front in 10th, and there are a couple of slow cars in front of him. So it is going to be an exciting race for us I think, the first few laps.”

Button believes that with Sebastian Vettel having proved so strong in Saturday running, victory for the German on Sunday would put him firmly back in the title hunt.

That is why he has set his own target as simply finishing in the points – which could prove vital in deciding the outcome of the championship battle.

“Vettel is starting in pole, and if he wins the race it puts him in the chase and he is back in the championship hunt,” said Button. “And they [Red Bull] are very, very quick around here.

“They have been stonkingly quick around here all day, so if [Lewis] Hamilton does not get him off the line I think Vettel will walk it. But we will make the best out of the situation we are in.”

He added: “This won’t be the only race that gives me the world championship if I am going to win it. It is every single race from here on in. If I finish five points in front of Rubens I can still win the championship, but that is not something I am concentrating on.

“In a straightforward race, Vettel is going to score a lot of points here. We are going to circuits that will suit our car a lot more – Brazil, which is more low speed corners, but especially Abu Dhabi. Nobody has been there yet, which is exciting to me, and it is a circuit that is very low speed – so it should suit our car.

“It is very exciting and very tense, but this is a moment I should be enjoying, which I am. It is great for F1 obviously seeing Vettel at the front and us back in 10th and 12th.”

Source: Autosport.com

Championship leader Jenson Button, team-mate Rubens Barrichello, Renault driver Fernando Alonso, Force India’s Adrian Sutil and Toro Rosso’s Sebastien Buemi were given five-place grid penalties after the session.

The race stewards deemed the first four drivers had not lifted off sufficiently at the end of Q2, when Buemi had crashed, leaving debris on track.

Brawn team boss Ross Brawn said his drivers, who had not set a time until then, had not lifted at all.

“No, they swerved to avoid the problem. But they didn’t lift off, no,” said Brawn.

Swiss driver Buemi was also reprimanded by the stewards for driving back to the pits with a damaged car and impeding other drivers.

Button had qualified in seventh, Barrichello in fifth, Alonso in 12th, Sutil in fourth and Buemi in 10th.

Pos Driver Team
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault
2. Trulli Toyota
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes
4. Heidfeld BMW-Sauber
5. Raikkonen Ferrari
6. Rosberg Williams-Toyota
7. Kubica BMW-Sauber
8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes *
9. Barrichello Brawn-Mercedes *
10. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari
11. Button Brawn-Mercedes *
12. Fisichella Ferrari
13. Kovalainen McLaren-Mercedes **
14. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari *
15. Nakajima Williams-Toyota
16. Grosjean Renault
17. Alonso Renault *
18. Liuzzi Force India-Mercedes **
19. Glock Toyota ***
20. Webber Red Bull-Renault ***

* Five-place grid penalty
** Five-place grid penalty for changing gearbox
*** Will use new chassis so will start from the pitlane

That means the two title rivals at Brawn will start in the mid-field (Barrichello P10 with Button P12) while Red Bull’s Vettel is out in front in pole position.

Below is the revised grid – following penalties – with fuel loads and predictions to the first pitstops.

Grid Name Weight Fuel (kg) First stint (laps)
1. Sebastian Vettel 658.5 53.5 18
2. Jarno Trulli 655.5 50.5 17
3. Lewis Hamilton 656 51 17
4. Nick Heidfeld 660 55 18
5. Kimi Raikkonen 661 56 19
6. Nico Rosberg 684.5 79.5 27
7. Robert Kubica 686 81 28
8. Adrian Sutil 650 45 15
9. Rubens Barrichelllo 660.5 55.5 19
10. Jaime Alguersuari 682.5 77.5 27
11. Jenson Button 658.5 53.5 18
12. Giancarlo Fisichella 661.5 56.5 19
13. Heikki Kovalainen 675 70 24
14. Sebastien Buemi 665.4 60.4 20
15. Kazuki Nakajima 695.7 90.7 31
16. Romain Grosjean 691.8 86.8 30
17. Fernando Alonso 689.5 84.5 29
18. Vitantonio Liuzzi 682.5 77.5 27
19. Timo Glock - -
20. Mark Webber - -

Timo Glock was hospitalised with a cut to his left leg after crashing out of Q2, while Red Bull driver Mark Webber, and both Scuderia Toro Rosso drivers Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, as well as McLaren’s Heikki Kovalainen all crashed at the Degner Curves during the day.

And while the Japanese circuit has made several changes following its re-inclusion on the F1 calendar, including switching to a high-intensity asphalt run-off into Turn 1, Barrichello believes more must be done to make the circuit safer.

“It is a fantastic track,” he told the BBC. “It is equal the best with Spa and Silverstone, but it is still very dangerous.

“They have to do something with Suzuka, because although the resurfacing is a lot better, we need to have more escape areas and things like this.

“We could see that with so many inexperienced drivers, like the Toro Rosso drivers, they went off and it’s pretty dangerous out there still.”

Barrichello eventually qualified fifth for the race, two places his Brawn team-mate and championship rival Jenson Button.

“I’m happy,” the Brazilian said about his qualifying performance. “My Q1 and Q2 times show that I was slower than Jenson, so to beat him on the same fuel level for Q3 is an aim that I have reached. I know it’s very little, because at the end of the day when you are fighting for pole position, but when you don’t have the car to achieve it, that’s where you have got to aim.

“In comparison to Button we have pretty much the same level of fuel so I’ll be fine. But in comparison with some guys at the front I don’t know. We didn’t have a very competitive session.”

Source: Autosport.com

Several drivers, including Alguersuari’s team-mate Sebastien Buemi, Mark Webber and Heikki Kovalainen all had accidents at the Degner Curves on Saturday.

The 19-year-old believes that a combination of the higher speeds and rough kerbs on the outside of the corner could be contributing factors to the spate of crashes.

“You need to brake a little bit and stay in sixth gear – it’s a really fast corner, much faster than it looks,” said Alguersuari. “And when you take a bit of kerb the car gets very unstable.

“Perhaps they should change the kerbs for next year as this is not one of the best tracks for safety in the world.

“You carry a lot more corner speed in these cars than you did in 2006. With the slick tyres it’s crazy how fast you can be mid-corner. And there is no run-off here, the wall is quite near to the track.”

Alguersuari added that he wasn’t too disappointed not to have missed an opportunity to go for Q3, adding that even the accident added to his experience level in F1.

“I think I’m quite happy to be honest, I never expected to be in Q2 this year and unfortunately there is also the disappointment with the crash,” he said. “I feel sorry for the team and the mechanics and hopefully it won’t happen again. But it’s experience for me.

“We have a new floor, so we have more downforce and we are faster as a result. It’s a shame for Sebastian [Buemi] and myself that we couldn’t get any dry running here yesterday at the track.

“As for my experience it’s better to get as much track familiarisation as possible. But I guess that is the same for everyone.”

Source: Autosport.com

Kimi Raikkonen said he had extracted the maximum from his Ferrari in order to qualify in eighth position for the Japanese Grand prix.

“I don’t think we could have expected much more today,” said Raikkonen, who admitted there is not much Ferrari can do considering the lack of development.

“We know what our potential is and we have to accept that. Here, the situation is definitely better than in Singapore, but we continue to struggle, especially with a lack of aerodynamic downforce, which makes itself felt especially in the first sector.

“Overall, the car is working well and it’s nice to drive on such a demanding track as this, where the slightest error is heavily punished, as we saw today. It’s a shame I didn’t have new soft tyres for Q3, but we had to use them earlier to avoid being knocked out: all in all it was a good qualifying.

“Tomorrow, we will try and have a good race: it will be difficult to fight for the top spots, but we will try and we can count on having a good strategy.”

His Italian team-mate Giancarlo Fisichella had another disappointing day after failing to reach Q2 for the second race in a row.

Fisichella will start from 16th position after a costly mistake in the first session cost him the time to advance into Q2.

“I am very disappointed not to have made it through to Q2,” he said. “We only had this morning’s free practice to prepare the car in the dry, but I think all the same, I improved my performance level, growing ever more confident in the F60.

“On my final timed lap, I made a mistake which probably cost me the time I needed to get into the next part. Tomorrow, the aim is to get into the points: I know it will be very difficult, starting from the eighth row, but with a good strategy, maybe I can do it.”