FIA shuffle grid after four drivers fail to set qualifying time - The FIA promote Kamui Kobayashi from tenth place to seventh
Published by Christine
This is F1Minute - FIA shuffle grid after four drivers fail to set qualifying time.
As qualifying in Japan drew to a close, we had four drivers in the top ten who failed to set a time in the final session. Some were by choice, others were because they missed out on crossing the line before the chequered flag fell. Nevertheless, the order listed at the end of the session had Michael Schumacher in 7th place, followed by Renault drivers Bruno Senna and Vitaly Petrov, with Kamui Kobayashi taking tenth place.
Having taken a closer look at the regulations, the FIA have shuffled the order, moving Kobayashi up to seventh place, and pushing the other three down. Kamui started a flying lap which puts him ahead of any driver who didn’t start a flying lap, and then any driver who didn’t leave the pit lane.
Meanwhile, Pirelli boss Paul Hembery has spoken out about the qualifying situation, saying: “I think it’s up to us to work with the teams to come up with a solution. We are robbing the fans of a show. They paid good money to come here today. I’m not criticising the teams because I know why they’ve done it... but I think we have to look at the wider picture and all of us work together to find a solution.”
