SPIELBERG, Austria -- Sebastian Vettel has been given a three-place grid penalty at the Austrian Grand Prix, dropping him from third to sixth on Sunday's grid.
Vettel was penalised for blocking Renault's Carlos Sainz on the exit of Turn 1 during the second stage of qualifying, even though both drivers progressed through to the top-ten shootout. The grid drop was combined with a single penalty point on Vettel's superlicence, bringing his total to six over a 12 month period (12 results in a race ban).
The stewards explained the decision in a statement issued to the press.