Felipe Massa came under fire from Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko with the Austrian claiming the Brazilian should “retire” for holding up Max Verstappen during the final lap of the Japanese Grand Prix.
Following a late-race Virtual Safety Car, caused by the retirement of Lance Stroll to a tyre failure, the Dutchman was able to close up to race leader Lewis Hamilton who was struggling for tyre temperature and stuck behind the McLaren of Fernando Alonso.
The Spaniard was busy fighting with Massa for the final points position of 10th and would actually cut across Verstappen after letting the Mercedes by and hold up the Red Bull driver. Once cleared, the Williams just in front would then also not allow the 20-year-old through for around half a lap until after the Esses giving Hamilton a good margin which he would maintain until the finish line.
Once cleared, the Williams just in front would then also not allow the 20-year-old through for around half a lap until after the Esses giving the championship leader a good margin which he would maintain until the finish line.
“Max had the pace to try to attack Hamilton,” Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF. “When first place in a Grand Prix is at stake, it can’t be the case that you move after that many corners. It would be better if he [Massa] retires. Otherwise, the finish could have been exciting.”
Verstappen himself brushed off the situation, which Alonso would actually be reprimanded for, for ignoring blue flags and holding up the Mercedes, claiming he didn’t have the speed to challenge the Briton.
As it shook out, Massa would hold on to claim 10th place and the final point but the 37-year-old wasn’t pleased with his Williams after being able to get into the top 10 in qualifying.
“It was a very difficult race for us today,” he said. “I was struggling with the degradation of the tyres and with the pace of the car – first set of tyres second set of tyres – definitely a lot.
“So I was not happy with my position at the end because my pace was really not quick enough. The other cars had better pace than us today and it’s difficult to understand why.”
The result wasn’t so bad, however, as neither of the Grove team’s main rival for fifth in the Constructors’ Championship scored, with Force India and Haas filling the lead midfield places.
“Looking at the problems we had, we still finished in front of Renault and Toro Rosso,” Massa said positively. “And one point is better than nothing!”
