Lewis Hamilton could lose Spain pole because of rule on fuel

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton could lose pole position at the Spanish Grand Prix after stopping his car out on the track at the end of qualifying.

Formula 1 rules dictate that teams must put enough fuel in their cars to return to the pits at the end of qualifying.
Team boss Martin Whitmarsh said: "There was enough fuel to take a fuel sample but we stopped the car and are now talking to the stewards about that."
Whitmarsh blamed a "technical problem" for Hamilton being told to stop.

Rules on fuel

Article 6.6.2 of technical regulations: "Competitors must ensure that a one litre sample of fuel may be taken from the car at any time during the event.
"Except in cases of force majeure (accepted as such by the stewards of the meeting), if a sample of fuel is required after a practice session the car concerned must have first been driven back to the pits under its own power."

He said: "It happened in the garage (and it) didn't impede the performance in any way and we stopped the car when it had 1.3 litres left in it."

BBC Sport understands that it was an operational error in the pits that caused the lack of fuel in the car.
If that is proved to be the case, it is extremely unlikely the stewards would not impose a penalty.
The rules were changed to require drivers to be able to get back to the pits with enough fuel to give a sample after a similar problem with Hamilton's car at the 2010 Canadian Grand Prix .
Whitmarsh said he would be trying to persuade the stewards that there was a "force majeure" reason for Hamilton stopping.
If the stewards reject that argument, Hamilton will almost certainly be hit with a sporting penalty, the most likely of which are a five-place grid penalty or losing his fastest time.
Both would put him back to sixth on the grid.
If he is penalised, Williams's Pastor Maldonado will start the race from pole position alongside Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
The rules dictate that teams have to have one litre of fuel in the car to provide a sample to check for legality.
Whitmarsh said 1.3 litres of fuel were taken out of the car, and that this was enough to get the car back to pits with enough fuel left to provide a sample.
He would not specify what the technical problem was that led to Hamilton being told to stop the car.
A directive issued by race director Charlie Whiting after Canada 2010 says: "Any team whose car stops on the slowing down lap after the race will be asked by the stewards to explain why this happened.
"If they are not satisfied that the reasons were beyond the control of the driver or team, and feel that this has been done deliberately to gain a competitive advantage, appropriate action will be taken."
Hamilton was a massive 0.578 seconds quicker than Maldonado's Williams, with Alonso's improved Ferrari just missing out on a front-row slot.
Whitmarsh said that the size of the margin was a reason for Hamilton to be allowed to keep his position.
"It was a massive margin by the situation within F1 at the moment and he undoubtedly deserves to be there," Whitmarsh said.