Button loses five places on the grid
Jenson Button will have to serve a five-place grid penalty at this weekend's Japanese Grand Prix, after McLaren were forced to change the gearbox on his car.
Button's McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who last week revealed he will drive for Mercedes in 2013, retired from the last Formula One race in Singapore with a gearbox issue.
Frome-born Button went on to finish second that weekend but, when the team looked over his car, they found it had the same problem that had curtailed Hamilton's race.
Drivers are required to use the same gearbox for five races, and any unscheduled changes are punished by a grid penalty.
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Although the gearbox on Hamilton's car has also been changed, he does not serve a penalty as the problem caused him to retire in Singapore. The penalty is a blow to Button's hopes of taking back-to-back wins in Japan – and hauling back points in the Formula One title race.
The 2009 world champion currently sits sixth in the standings, 75 points adrift of Ferrari's Fernando Alonso.
McLaren technical director Paddy Lowe said: "Jenson's gearbox had the same problem as Lewis's gearbox during the Singapore Grand Prix, and subsequent investigation has revealed a terminal failure. Both cars must start the Japanese Grand Prix with new gearboxes, which means that Jenson will receive a five-place penalty."
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