Heidfeld hit by three-place grid penalty

BMW Sauber’s Nick Heidfeld will drop three places on the Shanghai grid as penalty for impeding Red Bull’s David Coulthard during qualifying.

Heidfeld dived past Coulthard late in Q1 as both were battling to make it through to Q2. Coulthard claimed he was slowed as a result, causing him to narrowly miss the cut, and after examining the incident the stewards agreed.

Heidfeld drops from sixth to ninth, with Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel, Toyota’s Jarno Trulli and the second Toro Rosso of Sebastien Bourdais all moving up a place as a result.