Three drivers too slow at Sepang

Three drivers missed the 107 percent cut in Malaysia on Friday, although it has to be noted that circumstances will vary by qualifying on Saturday. Q1 begins at 4pm local time (BST +7).

Mark Webber’s leading Friday afternoon time of 1:36.876 results in a 107 percent cutoff of 1:43.657, outside of which would have been Vitantonio Liuzzi of Hispania, Heikki Kovalainen of Lotus and Jerome d’Ambrosio of Virgin, although the latter two were both stuck in their garages with problems for much (all, in the Belgian’s case) of the second session.

What should be noted is that Narain Karthikeyan was inside the barrier for HRT, raising hope for his team’s first qualification of the season. The 107 percent rule, which returns in 2011 for the first time since 2002, applies only in Q1.