Nick and Alonso complain to stewards

In the last 30 seconds of qualifying the majority of the ten drivers had completed their final flying lap and were coasting back to the pits. Some were so slow as they went about saving fuel that the official F1 timing screen read 'stop'.

The problem, though, was that not everyone had completed their flying lap.

That meant the likes of Heidfeld came up to the dangerously slow traffic and rather than them move off the racing line as they should do, the German was forced to move over himself to avoid an accident.

This cost Heidfeld valuable time and, he estimated, third place on the grid.

"That's the disappointing part," the BMW driver ITV. "Q1 and Q2 went pretty smooth and then in Q3 most of the cars were already very, very slow when I was on my flying lap.

"They were just like parked on the circuit, I think it was both of the McLarens in front of Turn 4, being in the middle of the racing line.

"I could not be on the line I wanted, especially for braking. I have lost some time there, I think I lost two tenths, and if you look at the times they were very, very close.

"I would have been third, but what can you do now? Very clearly (it needs to be looked at) and I reported that on the radio. From my point of view it is not correct what they did."

Meanwhile Autosport reports that Fernando Alonso and Renault engineer Steve Nielsen also put in a complaint with the race stewards with team boss Flavio Briatore confirming that "it looks like" Alonso had similar problems to Heidfeld.