Buemi's Qualifying Times Void

Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastien Buemi has been disqualified from Saturday's qualifying session due to a fuel irregularity.

Buemi, who had qualified 16th, one place ahead of his team mate Jaime Alguersuari, was disqualified from the session following standard post-race checks.

The Swiss driver will be able to compete in Sunday's Grand Prix, but will start from the back of the grid.

An FIA statement read: "The stewards, having received a report from the FIA Technical Delegate that the fuel sample taken after Qualifying from Car 18 showed an increase in one given GC (gas chromatography) Peak Area of an absolute amount greater than 0.1 per cent for the component present at a concentration below 0.8 per cent, and having heard from the FIA Formula One Analytical Chemist and the Team Representatives and examined the fuel test graphs, determine this to be a breach of Article 19.8.3 of the 2011 FIA Formula One Technical Regulations and decide to impose a penalty of exclusion of Car 18 from the results of Qualifying."

Toro Rosso confirmed that Buemi had been struggling with fuel pump issues all weekend: "During Friday's FP1, Buemi's car had a fuel pressure problem, which then got worse at the start of FP2 which is why he did not do a timed lap in that session," Toro Rosso said in a statement on Saturday evening.

"After FP2 the entire fuel system on his car was changed. When the fuel sample was taken from his car after qualifying, it did not match the one provided to the FIA prior to the start of the season.

"The team believes that some part of the new fuel system contained a chemical that contaminated the fuel and caused the non-conformity."

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