Red Bull's Ricciardo, Vettel excluded from Abu Dhabi qualifying
Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo have their work cut out for them in Abu Dhabi.
The Red Bull drivers, who qualified fifth and sixth respectively for Sunday's race, were penalized for driving with front wings ruled to be too flexible and pushed to the back of the grid, writes the BBC's Andrew Benson.
Red Bull released a statement after the penalty was handed down:
Following the decision of the Stewards regarding the front wings on both our Cars, we are disappointed that we have been singled out for a front wing deflection test when it is clear that other teams are interpreting the rules in a similar fashion.
The team accepts the decision of the Stewards and will start the race from the back of the grid.
Benson has more:
Teams can gain an aerodynamic advantage by having front wings that flex downwards at speed.
The rules on flexible bodywork have been toughened in recent seasons after teams pursued it as a way to make cars as efficient as possible in a straight line but have as much downforce as possible in corners.
In previous years, Red Bull have been the leading exponent, but the rules have been tightened in recent years.
Front wings are subjected to load tests under which they must flex only within certain parameters.
Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton qualified one-two for Sunday's race. Here's the updated Abu Dhabi Grand Prix grid:
Position | Driver | Team |
---|---|---|
1 | Nico Rosberg | Mercedes |
2 | Lewis Hamilton | Mercedes |
3 | Valtteri Bottas | Williams |
4 | Felipe Massa | Williams |
5 | Daniil Kvyat | Toro Rosso |
6 | Jenson Button | McLaren |
7 | Kimi Raikkonen | Ferrari |
8 | Fernando Alonso | Ferrari |
9 | Kevin Magnussen | McLaren |
10 | Jean-Eric Vergne | Toro Rosso |
11 | Sergio Perez | Force India |
12 | Nico Hulkenberg | Force India |
13 | Adrian Sutil | Sauber |
14 | Esteban Gutierrez | Sauber |
15 | Pastor Maldonado | Lotus |
16 | Kamui Kobayashi | Caterham |
17 | Will Stevens | Caterham |
18 | Romain Grosjean | Lotus |
19 | Daniel Ricciardo | Red Bull |
20 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull |