24/07/2011
NEWS STORY
Sebastien Buemi has been handed a five place grid penalty for next weekend's Hungarian Grand Prix.
In a post-race investigation, the Swiss was adjudged to have caused an accident which resulted in Nick Heidfeld's retirement from the race - the German, ironically having just been handed a drive-through following a first lap incident involving Paul di Resta.
As Heidfeld closed on the Toro Rosso driver, the Swiss appeared to move to the right, causing the two to to collide and sending the Renault into the air and off into the gravel.
Having watched TV evidence and spoken to both drivers the Race Stewards awarded Buemi the penalty for next weekend's race.
"Heidfeld drove into me at the chicane and I got a puncture on my right rear," said the Swiss after today's race. "So I had to pit and change tyres, which compromised our strategy even more and with no rain, that was really it."
However, like the stewards, Heidfeld saw it slightly differently: "I was trying very hard to make up positions and I overtook some cars before I was behind Buemi," said the German. "He blocked the left hand side, as he is allowed to do, but when I went to his right hand side he just moved over on me.
"He must have known I was there," continued the German. "I had a lot more speed than him and was on my way to pass. He just didn't give me any room and pushed me on to the grass and after that there was nothing I could do. It was an accident which couldn't be avoided. It's never nice being up in the air in one of these cars and it could have been dangerous."
The penalty wraps up a disappointing weekend for Buemi who had been handed a five-place grid penalty for today's race after a post-qualifying inspection revealed a fuel irregularity.
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