• Chinese Grand Prix

Massa admits to qualifying mistake

ESPNF1 Staff
April 17, 2010 « Vettel praises last-minute set-up changes | »
A mistake in the final corner cost Felipe Massa dear © Sutton Images
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Felipe Massa blamed traffic and a mistake in the final corner for his below-par qualifying performance in Shanghai.

Massa will start the race seventh after setting a time 0.3 seconds off his team-mate Fernando Alonso in third. The tight competition at the front meant just the smallest mistake has left him in a difficult position for tomorrow's race.

"I'm a bit disappointed because I wasn't able to do a clean lap on my last run in Q3," he said. "Unfortunately, I made a mistake at the final corner which lost me at least a few tenths. Up to that point, I was in line for a lap that would have seen me into the top five, but when everyone is so close, it takes very little to find yourself dropping down the grid."

Massa said he was hopeful of rain on Sunday to shake up the order but did not fancy his chances of racing for a podium.

"It might rain tomorrow, so there's a chance it could shake up the order, but it is clear that starting seventh, it will be hard to fight for the top positions," he added. "In terms of race pace, we can hold our own, as was the case in yesterday's free practice: the soft tyres seem to degrade more than the hard but maybe with a bit more rubber on the track, the situation could improve. It will be very important to get a good start and make up some places immediately."

© ESPN Sports Media Ltd.
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