More problems for de la Rosa
As if Sauber's Belgian Grand Prix weekend wasn't going badly enough already, Pedro de la Rosa will now start from the very back of the grid after having to change his engine between qualifying and the race.
The punishment is a result of Sauber's poor start to the season, where it consumed engines at a prodigious rate. With each driver only allowed to use a maximum of eight engines in the course of the season, both the team's drivers were walking a tightrope, and the Spa change meant that de la Rosa moved on to his ninth new Ferrari V8.
Technically, the Spaniard is taking a ten-place penalty but, having crashed out of the opening phase of qualifying on Saturday, he was due to start a lowly 22nd and his punishment will only cost the veteran two spots in the line-up. However, with the weather at Spa having proved so changeable, it is more likely that de la Rosa will start from the pit-lane, allowing him and the team to react to any last-minute shift in conditions.
