Muller banned - but won't miss races.

Yvan Muller left Brands Hatch with his British Touring Car Championship lead intact, his reputation for possessing a fiery temper equally enhanced, and an eleven-day ban in his back pocket for his involvement in a pit-lane fracas with rival Anthony Reid.

The Frenchman, perhaps feeling the pressure of heading towards his first - and long-awaited - BTCC title, reacted angrily to being bundled off the road by Reid in a frenetic last lap at Brands Hatch on Monday, having already lost the lead of race two to the Scot's MG team-mate Colin Turkington after out-braking himself at Paddock Hill.

When Reid came barrelling up the inside of the Vauxhall driver at Druids, the two made contact, both running briefly into the gravel trap before rejoining. Reid ended the race in fourth place - one lower than he had started the final lap - while Muller followed him home in fifth. The pair then got a lot closer in the paddock, as Muller allegedly grabbed Reid by the throat in an attempt to extract an explanation for the move from the Scot.

Naturally, the stewards took a dim view of the Frenchman's actions and, after a lengthy meeting that went on into the Kent night, decided to levy a ban on the championship leader. The 'period of rest' is not likely to harm Muller's chances of lifting the crown, however, as, at just eleven days, it only keeps him out of the testing session for the next round of the series at Donington Park on 5 September. He will be free to qualify and race on the weekend.

A similar ban imposed on fighting Formula Ford drivers James Harris and Antonio Perez lasted a full 30 days, the norm in such situations over the years, and such an imposition on Muller would have ruled him out of both the final rounds of the BTCC, effectively ending his quest for the title.

Muller currently leads Vauxhall team-mate James Thompson, the reigning BTCC champion, by 25 points in the drivers' standings with four races - two double-headers - remaining.