• Belgian Grand Prix

Grosjean nearly caused first lap shunt - Massa

Felipe Massa claims to have been cut off by Romain Grosjean in the first lap © Getty Images

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Felipe Massa said he lost four positions at the start of the Belgian Grand Prix trying to avoid a collision with Romain Grosjean coming out of the first corner.

Massa started the race from tenth on the grid but dropped back in the first corner and then had a steering wheel problem that hampered his progress early on. He blamed the lost positions on Grosjean getting in his way on the exit of La Source.

"That was a difficult race for me right from the early stages, because after managing a good passing move at the start, I then had to slow and drop back four or five places, to avoid a collision with Grosjean at the exit of the first corner. From then on, things got complicated because for a few laps I had a problem on the steering wheel linked to the KERS operation and I wasn't able to communicate well with the team."

Massa said he deserved better than his seventh place finishing position.

"When everything was back to normal again, it wasn't easy to catch up, because even if the decision to bring forward the first pit stop allowed me to get past several cars, the pace wasn't good. In the final stint on the hard tyres, the car was very competitive and I managed to gain some important places, with a nice passing move on Grosjean. I definitely can't be pleased with seventh place, because today, our car deserved better, but the fact we're more competitive than at the last few races makes me think we are working in the right direction and so we can hope to make progress throughout the second half of the season".

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