Sato Punished for Impeding Webber

BAR's sporting director Gil de Ferran said the Honda-powered team would not appeal the stewards' decision.

Australian Webber overtook Sato, who was slowing down after his timed lap, in the session. Webber believed it cost him three 10ths of a second, the difference between sixth and seventh place.

However there was confusion about what Sato's penalty meant in practical terms, with de Ferran expecting the Japanese driver to start at the back while others said he should merely lose two places from 14th to 16th.

The official starting grid is not published until shortly before Sunday's race.

Also, Brazilian Ferrari driver Rubens Barrichello was warned by the stewards after he was too slow on his warm down lap. He received no penalty, however.

Indian driver Narain Karthikeyan and Ferrari's Michael Schumacher can expect to fill the back row because they have both had unscheduled engine changes which incur a 10-place penalty from wherever they qualified.

Neither driver completed a qualifying lap.

Where several drivers fail to set a time, they have been listed in the past according to their racing numbers. Sato's is four, putting him ahead of Sauber's Jacques Villeneuve (11) and Minardi's Robert Doornbos (20).