Lewis Hamilton will find out tomorrow whether his bid to win the world championship will suffer a serious blow after it was confirmed the McLaren driver is under investigation for his role in the crash that forced Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel out of the Japanese Grand Prix.

Third-placed Vettel drove his Toro Rosso into the back of Webber's Red Bull, which was running second behind Hamilton, on lap 45 of the 67-lap race when the field was lined up behind a safety car deployed due to Fernando Alonso's crash three laps earlier.

Although the incident was missed by the television cameras, it is believed new evidence, thought to be footage on YouTube filmed from the grandstand at the Fuji Speedway, shows Hamilton pulling over to the right-hand side of the track and decelerating considerably prior to the collision, in turn forcing Webber to slow down and thus catching Vettel unawares.

If found guilty, Hamilton could lose the ten championship points he earned for his victory in Japan, which would reduce his lead over nearest rival Alonso to just two points with two races to go.

But given the fact Vettel was handed a 10-place grid penalty for this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix for his part in the incident, a similar punishment would seem more likely for the Brit.

An FIA official said: ''We understand the stewards of the meeting have received new evidence and are looking into the relevant matter. It would be inappropriate for us to comment any further at this stage, in particular as to what penalty, if any, might be imposed.''

F1 regulations state the leader must keep within five car lengths of the safety car, while erratic driving can also be punished.

Article 40.10 of the F1 Sporting Regulations reads: ''The safety car shall be used at least until the leader is behind it and all remaining cars are lined up behind him. Once behind the safety car, the race leader must keep within five car lengths of it.''

It is thought Hamilton has already met a three-man panel of stewards at the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai, who are believed to be deliberating on what action to take over the incident.

Webber, a Grand Prix Drivers Association director, was adamant Hamilton's constant accelerating and braking over the final corners played a large part in his afternoon coming to a premature end.

''I think he did a job behind the safety car,'' the Australian blasted.

''He did a job and that's it. He spoke in the driver's briefing about how good a job he was going to do and he did the opposite. But we know for next time.

''It definitely contributed to Sebastian (Vettel) hitting me up the back. We were confused what the other car was doing because it wasn't doing what it was supposed to do, clearly.

''You have to keep a sensible rhythm and obviously in the first safety car period and clearly in the second there was not a sensible rhythm.''

The first 19 laps of the race were completed behind the safety car as heavy rain had made racing at the Fuji Speedway a dangerous prospect.

Fellow Brit Jenson Button was also unhappy with the way Hamilton initially led the field around before the action finally got underway.

''It felt really inconsistent,'' the Honda driver said.

''I don't know what he was doing really. We came through the last section and he kept slowing down.

''We knew the safety car wasn't coming in and he kept hitting the brakes hard in the last sector so everyone would bunch up, and then he would shoot off and brake again.

Hamilton heads into this weekend's Chinese Grand Prix with the chance to become the first driver to win the world championship in his debut season.

Unless the stewards rule against him, he will achieve the incredible feat if he drops no more than one point to Alonso in the penultimate race.