Nick Heidfeld will be demoted three places on the grid for Sunday’s Singapore Grand Prix after stewards deemed him to have impeded Rubens Barrichello in qualifying.
Heidfeld was peeling off into the pitlane in Q1 when Rubens Barrichello, who was on a flying lap, caught the BMW Sauber driver.
The pitlane entry has already come under fire this weekend for being on the racing line.
Heidfeld qualified in sixth place but will drop to ninth. This promotes Sebastian Vettel to sixth, Timo Glock to seventh, and Nico Rosberg to eighth.
Heidfeld believes the penalty was unfair. He told autosport.com: “The GPS system does not work here. Normally we are pretty good from the team side to inform me of cars arriving, but here it is not just working.”
“It doesn’t show you cars, it then shows the wrong cars or the wrong positions. So I was not informed because the GPS does not work.”
“The last part of the circuit was so tight and I watched the mirrors but you don’t see cars coming. When I saw him (Rubens) I tried to do the best I could to get out of the way.”
“After the white line I tried to be as quick into the pitlane without moving completely right and going into his way. It was the best I could do. But apparently not enough.”
