Kobayashi gets grid boost at home

Suzuka, Japan, Oct 8, 2011 (AFP) - Japan's Kamui Kobayashi received a boost on Saturday ahead of his home Grand Prix after being promoted to seventh on the grid due to a technicality.

The 25-year-old, of Sauber, was one of four drivers not to set a flying lap time in the final session of qualifying at Suzuka.

But because he was the only driver to have embarked on a flying lap at the start of the final 10-minute shootout, he was promoted to seventh on the grid after being provisionally listed as 10th -- even though he aborted the lap and returned to the pits.

German Michael Schumacher of Mercedes and Renault teammates Bruno Senna of Brazil and Vitaly Petrov of Russia, the other drivers who failed to post a time, each dropped down a place on the grid.

Article 36.2b of the 2011 Formula One Sporting Regulations states: "If more than one driver fails to set a time during Q1, Q2 or Q3 they will be arranged in the following order: i) any driver who attempted to set a qualifying time by starting a flying lap; ii) any driver who failed to start a flying lap; iii) any driver who failed to leave the pits during the period."