Zuber faces 15-place grid penalty

Zuber qualified ninth this afternoon, but if the 15-place penalty is confirmed he will drop to 24th position - second from last. His Piquet Sports team have appealed against the penalty, and are now awaiting the final decision.

Zuber protested his innocence in his clash with Carroll, claiming his car was forced into the FMS car when he hit a bump on the run from Casino Square to Mirabeau.

"I hit the bump as I was overtaking Carroll," said Zuber. "The car just went to the left when we were side-by-side. Of course I didn't mean to hit him. I was steering right, and it went left, you can see it in the telemetry, so what could I do? It was definitely not on purpose."

Zuber says the penalty has wrecked any chance he has of scoring points this weekend.

"To penalise me 15 places is ridiculous," he said. "They might as well penalise me 30 places. Five would be okay, but 15? Forget it. They could make me start half a lap behind everyone else, it would be the same result."

Carroll was unimpressed with Zuber's manoeuvre, and even less with the lack of an apology afterwards: "My grandfather told me that good manners cost you nothing," he said. "He's not even sent me a card, never mind apologised to my face!"

Also penalised is Campos driver Vitaly Petrov, who was given a five-place grid penalty for touring back to the pits with a damaged car in free practice and impeding those behind him as he did so.

Petrov had hit the barrier at Ste Devote, and completed almost a full lap of the track with his left-rear wheel broken. He will start 17th.