Formula One news

Webber to miss qualifying

Mark Webber has been forced to miss qualifying for the Japanese Grand Prix following a Saturday morning practice crash at the Degner Curves. The subsequent chassis change for the Australian means he will start Sunday's race from the back of the grid at Suzuka.

Having lost out in the championship fight as a result of brake failure in Singapore six days ago, Mark Webber's chances for a decent result in Japan took a large blow in the third and final practice session.

Having gone straight on to collide with the barriers at Degner, Team Principal Christian Horner has explained that chassis damaged will mean Webber remains in the pits for the rest of the day. The Milton Keynes team is currently constructing a new chassis, hoped to be ready by Sunday morning.

"It bottomed-out pretty hard, went wide and into the barrier," Webber explained to the BBC. "It wasn't a big impact but it obviously damaged the chassis. I had massive understeer all morning and decided for the last run to have more tyre pressure - it wasn't the right decision, as I lost control of the car. I don't know where we're starting - the pit lane of the back of the grid."

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