Defending race champion Juan Pablo Montoya will start this year's British Grand Prix from the eighth place he earned in qualifying after escaping censure from the stewards over alleged blocking during the timed session.
The Colombian was accused by
Red Bull Racing of impeding David Coulthard's final flier in second qualifying, with the result that the Scot missed an opportunity to make the cut. Coulthard was incensed after the middle session, storming from the RBR garage and later launching a vicious attack on his rival's driving standards.
Race officials spoke to both drivers and their respective team managers after the session, but decided not to take any action against Montoya, claiming that the data available from the various timesheets, including sector times, did not prove that Coulthard had been sufficiently impeded to warrant a penalty.
Montoya will thus keep his eighth place, six behind
McLaren team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, rather than having his best laps stripped, as has happened to other drivers found guilty of blocking in this season's new-look qualifying.
BMW Sauber pair
Nick Heidfeld and Jacques Villeneuve remain ninth and tenth on the grid, just ahead of the aggrieved Coulthard.
