Tension has risen as Yas Marina, as Sebastian Vettel could be demoted to the back of the grid ahead of Sunday’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. After qualifying third, the championship leader stopped on-track and the team has now verified that this was because of a fuel-related issue.
In Saturday’s final practice session which took place before qualifying, Vettel enjoyed only five minutes of competitive running time because of brake problems. As he stopped under the Yas Hotel crossover at the end of qualifying, most in the paddock expected a similar issue.
At almost 9pm local time (GMT +4) and three hours after the end of qualifying, Team Principal Christian Horner confirmed to BBC Sport’s Gary Anderson that the problem is ‘fuel-related’. If there is not enough fuel remaining in the car for an FIA sample, Vettel will be demoted to the back of the grid - just as pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton was in Barcelona.
The investigation is believed to have been delayed as FIA technical delegate Charlie Whiting is taking time out to dine. Stay tuned to GPUpdate.net for the latest.
Latest development:
Vettel sent to back of Abu Dhabi grid
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| Pos. | Driver | Team | Time | Laps |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. |  L. Hamilton | McLaren | 01:40.630 | 15 |
| 2. | M. Webber | Red Bull | 01:40.978 | 17 |
| 3. | P. Maldonado | Williams | 01:41.226 | 22 |
| 4. | K. Raikkonen | Lotus | 01:41.260 | 20 |
| 5. | J. Button | McLaren | 01:41.290 | 20 |
| 6. | F. Alonso | Ferrari | 01:41.582 | 17 |
| 7. | N. Rosberg | Mercedes | 01:41.603 | 17 |
| 8. | F. Massa | Ferrari | 01:41.723 | 17 |
| 9. | R. Grosjean | Lotus | 01:41.778 | 24 |
| 10. | N. Hulkenberg | Force India | 01:42.019 | 16 |
| Full results | ||||
| Christian Horner | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| More Christian Horner photos | |||
| Sebastian Vettel | |||
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| More Sebastian Vettel photos | |||
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