Heidfeld says McLaren duo cost him third
| By Jonathan Noble and Pablo Elizalde |
Saturday, March 22nd 2008, 10:53 GMT |
 Nick Heidfeld reckons the McLaren drivers cost him third place on the grid for tomorrow's Malaysian Grand Prix.
Both the BMW Sauber driver and Renault's Fernando Alonso complained after qualifying that Lewis Hamilton and Heikki Kovalainen were in the middle of the racing line while they completed their final flying laps.
The McLaren duo were summoned by the race stewards and they are investigating the incident.
Heidfeld, who had to jink off line to avoid a crash, was unimpressed with the McLaren duo, and he claimed the incident cost him enough time to be third. The German qualified in seventh.
"If they did all they could do, they didn't do well," Heidfeld told reporters after qualifying.
"I was on my last lap, my first lap on the option tyres, which was the quickest and should have been even quicker, if not for the two McLarens driving in the middle of the racing line at 80 or less km/h, while I was doing 289. It was not really normal, and that just caused me some laptime.
"I was happy to make the corner, because when I approached it I saw the problems I had with them in front. At first I thought I would miss the corner but then I just made it and lost a little bit on the exit.
"But unfortunately the laptimes are so close that a little bit means a lot. Five hundredths it would have been fourth, and one and a half tenths it would have been third so that's disappointing."
Heidfeld reckons the drivers should be paying more attention on their slowing down laps, and says a change to the rules would also help.
"We should try to avoid this situations, with drivers and teams paying more attention or by changing the rules," he said. "As for example we've done on the lap to the grid. In the past some drivers went very slow to save fuel and others went very quick.
"It was very dangerous, so we have a minimum time now. Maybe there could be some things that could be introduced. We already spoke about it and I think it's been discussed."
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