Formula One news

Barrichello facing 5-place grid drop

As in Malaysia earlier in the season, Rubens Barrichello could be lowered five places down the Monza grid as the Brawn team looked into a possibly damaged gearbox on Saturday evening. The penalty will be applied in the event of the part, which must last for four races, being changed before the race on Sunday afternoon.

With drivers allocated eight engines per season and forced to take a 10-place grid drop in the event of using a ninth, a 5-place fall will occur if a gearbox is changed before its four-race pattern is completed.

Manchester's Ross Brawn, Team Principal of Brawn GP

"We are going to have a look at all of the information and decide but there's no decision yet," Team Principal Ross Brawn commented after qualifying in Italy. "Now we know the fuel weights, we will do all of the calculations, see how the race would run and then decide; in the morning, we will make a decision after sleeping on it - there is nothing we can do tonight other than simulate and model."

Barrichello qualified in a Heikki Kovalainen-Jenson Button sandwich on the grid and all three cars are set to pit only once during the race. However, Barrichello's starting position will soon be modified from fifth to tenth in the event of the gearbox being swapped this morning.

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