Jenson Button's hopes of a maiden win this weekend in the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim are in tatters after he was docked 10 places on the grid.
Button parked his BAR towards the end of today's second practice session, suspecting a mechanical problem. Initially it was unclear what the problem was but it has now been traced back to his Honda engine, which needed to be replaced.
That brings a 10-place grid penalty, meaning that even if the Englishman were to qualify in pole position, he would start the race from 11th.
Button had been confident of a strong result after an encouraging practice which saw him end up fourth, but he concedes just reaching the top eight will be an achievement now.
He said: "We had a good morning so it's very disappointing that I will lose 10 places on the grid as a result of my engine change. I will obviously be targeting a points finish on Sunday but the task has been made a lot more difficult."