Toyota pair penalised

Toyota’s Timo Glock and Jarno Trulli have been thrown to the back of the grid for tomorrow’s Australian Grand Prix.

The duo were excluded from qualifying by race stewards following a report given to them by technical delegate Jo Bauer.

Bauer noted the upper rear wing element of their cars was showing extreme flexibility in contravention of the technical regulations.

The rules specifically stipulate cars are not allowed flexible body parts as they offer a distinct advantage, and as such are illegal.

The stewards – Radovan Novak, Olafur Gudmundsson and Steve Chopping - ultimately concurred with Bauer after an inspection of the cars and following a hearing with Toyota representatives.

Glock and Trulli, who had initially qualified sixth and eighth, will now start from 19th and 20th, propelling Lewis Hamilton up the grid by two places.

Hamilton had been due to start at the back for the first time in his career due to incurring a five-place grid penalty for a gearbox change to his McLaren.

Stewards were busy today as another protest was made by Williams against Red Bull and Ferrari.

The FIA later confirmed Williams had bizarrely withdrawn that protest, leaving Sebastian Vettel starting from third.

However, with the Toyotas excluded from qualifying, Felipe Massa and Kimi Raikkonen will now start sixth and seventh, with the second Red Bull of Mark Webber up to eighth.