Webber annoyed to miss qualifying

The Red Bull Racing driver lost control of his car after bottoming out through the first Degner curve - and he speared off the track and into the crash barriers. Although the accident did not look too bad, it caused enough damage to the RB5 chassis for a replacement to be needed.

That new chassis will only be available tomorrow morning, which means Webber will have to skip qualifying and start the race from the pit lane.

"You think of the preparation that goes into a weekend like this, so to not have the opportunity to do the race from a decent grid position is very tough for all of us - especially the guys in the garage," he said.

"It wasn't a big crash by any means, but it did too much damage to the chassis, so we have to change it. We don't have spare cars these days, so that's the outcome and it's a shame. We made a few changes to the car for the final run and I lost control when it bottomed out through Turn 8."

Team principal Christian Horner added: "Mark was on a really quick lap towards the end of P3; he'd just set his fastest first sector.

"It was a really unfortunate incident, which is quite costly. It means we have to make a chassis change this afternoon, so he won't be able to take part in qualifying.

"We'll have to re-scrutineer the new chassis in the morning (Sunday), which will necessitate him starting the race from the pit lane. So, not a good start to the weekend."