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10/12/2008 - 09:32 AM
Oyama, Japan
Massa got his own drive-through for punting Hamilton on the second lap. (LAT Photo) ยป More Photos
Felipe Massa says his Japanese GP could have turned out far worse, despite the fact that he finished only seventh. But thanks to Lewis Hamilton’s failure to score, he gained two points in the championship.
Massa was given a drive through penalty for his second lap clash with Hamilton and was eighth on the road, but he later gained a spot when Sebastian Bourdais was penalized by 25s for bumping him into a spin.
“It could have been better,” said Massa. “It could have been for sure worse, looking at where we started, and looking at where Lewis started. But we cannot leave here saying that it was a disaster. It could have been for sure better in terms of points, but we at least finished in the points.”
The Brazilian said he felt that his drive through penalty was not a fair one.
“For me it was a racing incident. We braked very late into Turn 10, he tried to pass me, but then I was a little bit wide, and he put the car inside. I was outside, then he pushed me a little bit close to the gravel. Then I had two wheels on the gravel, and he closed and we touched. The next corner was already on my favor, but because I was on the gravel I couldn’t do anything, and we touched. And that’s it.”
He denied suggestions from a frustrated Hamilton that the nudge had been deliberate: “For sure not. I had two wheels on the gravel, I couldn’t stop the car. And I was on the gravel because he pushed me on the gravel.”
He insisted that their clash would not sour their relationship.
“I admire him as a driver and a person, and I’m sure he admires me. I’m not the kind of guy who brings problems on the track to outside, so I have no problem to say hello to him, to even discuss some stuff and have fun. No problem.”
Massa was convinced that he was the innocent party in the clash that saw Bourdais penalized. The Frenchman had come out of the pits when Massa turned across him and was clipped from behind at the first corner.
“That for me was a little bit too optimistic. You can’t leave the garage, the box, like that. I’m doing the corner... Anyway, for me he just braked too late and pushed me out of the track. That is not really too much to comment on.”
Massa says his approach won’t change in the coming races: “Not so different. We have two races, we have a good car, we need to try and be in the front and fight.
“For me it can be two races very tough, he can be very strong, we can be very strong, and we need to believe in it.”
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