• Japanese Grand Prix

Massa calls on FIA to take tough stance with Hamilton

ESPNF1 Staff
October 9, 2011 « Rosberg calls tenth 'decent' | Unwell Perez delighted with points »
Felipe Massa: "I think the footage speaks for itself" © Getty Images
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Felipe Massa was left fuming at Lewis Hamilton for the second race in a row after the pair came together again during the Japanese Grand Prix.

Massa and Hamilton were running fifth and sixth when they made contact heading into the final chicane. Massa attempted to draw level around the outside of the corner entry as Hamilton drifted across and the pair collided, damaging the Ferrari's front wing.

Two weeks ago in Singapore Hamilton was penalised when contact led to Massa suffering a puncture, but the stewards at Suzuka decided a penalty was not necessary on this occasion.

"The contact with Hamilton? My car was definitely damaged by it: when I looked at it after the race, I saw there was a bit of the front wing endplate missing and the floor was not on properly on the left hand side and I could feel it in the way my car was behaving," Massa said. "I think the footage speaks for itself: he was struggling with his tyres and I had almost come alongside him and for no reason, he moved over and hit me. I let you be the judge… It's pointless for me to say any more about it."

After the race Hamilton said he had struggled to see Massa in his mirrors, but the Ferrari driver was not interested in Hamilton's version of events and called for the FIA to punish his rival.

"I don't care, to be honest, about what he said," Autosport quoted Massa as saying. "The only thing I care about is what he did. He was so slow in 130R and he stayed on the right-hand side. I was much quicker, I went to the left-hand side and I braked there. I stayed on my line; he moved his car and touched my car. There's nothing more to say. For what he says, I don't care. I care about what the federation says and what the FIA does.

"They have penalised people for much less this year and this time they didn't do it. It's the second time in a row after the problem in qualifying as well in the last race, and after what happened yesterday. And after many times this year. The FIA needs to take care of that. They are the only ones who can take care of that."

Massa said the incident had ruined his chance of a podium.

"Once again I finish a race with a very bitter taste in my mouth," he said. "Today, our pace was good enough to finish on the podium, as Fernando demonstrated, but instead I am here commenting on a seventh place. It's a real shame."

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