The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has disqualified the Sauber drivers Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi from Sunday's Australian Grand Prix for technical infringements.
Perez and Kobayashi had finished seventh and eighth respectively and Sauber say they will appeal the disqualification.
Mexican rookie Perez had earlier celebrated a fairytale debut in Formula One, riding his luck on a single change of tyres to finish seventh while more seasoned drivers made two or three stops to change their Pirellis.
The 21-year-old would have become the first Mexican to score championship points in 30 years.
Japan's Kobayashi had also impressed, finishing eighth for the Swiss-based team on a day principal Peter Sauber had described as a "dream start to the season".
The stewards said they were being disqualified for infringements relating to the rear wings of their cars.
Pending the result of the appeal, their disqualification would mean Ferrari's Felipe Massa being promoted from ninth to seventh and Toro Rosso's Sebastien Buemi from tenth to eighth.
Force India's Adrian Sutil and Paul di Resta would be promoted to ninth and tenth respectively.
