The official starting grid will be published Sunday morning

The definitive starting grid for the 2009 Japanese Grand Prix will be revealed tomorrow morning, a few hours before the race begins. Title rivals Jenson Button and Rubens Barrichello, as well as Fernando Alonso and his Renault, and Adrian Sutil and his Force India have all been penalized with a five-place grid drop for not respecting the yellow flags caused by the accident of Sébastien Buemi and his Toro Rosso. Buemi was also penalized but for spreading debris as he tried to return slowly to the pits while his car was significantly damaged.

Although provisional starting grids are already circulating here and there, the official decision regarding the order in which the drivers will start has yet to be defined. The positions will depend on the chronological order in which the drivers were penalized. The Formula 1 sporting regulations state that: « Grid penalties will be applied to the drivers in question in the chronological order in which the offenses were committed.»

Mark Webber and Timo Glock will have to start from the pit lane for changing their chassis after their respective accidents today, while Vitantonio Liuzzi has already received a five-place grid penalty for changing his gearbox before qualifying. Vitantonio Liuzzi will therefore start last, if we do not count the drivers starting from the pit lane, no matter what.