Massa claims kerbs are cause for concern in Indian GP
Felipe Massa is to speak with FIA race director Charlie Whiting in a bid to avoid the kind of accident he was involved in today.
Massa was pushing on his final fast lap in qualifying ahead of the inaugural Indian Grand Prix when the front-right suspension on his Ferrari broke.
The cause was a sausage-shaped piece of orange concrete behind a kerb that are designed to prevent drivers from cutting corners.
Massa claims the offending object is too high and now needs to be looked at for next year’s race, appreciating nothing can be done ahead of tomorrow’s history-making event.
“It’s important to discuss it,” said Massa, who starts sixth on the grid alongside old foe in McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton.
“For me, it’s a high-speed corner, and as something happened then this ’sausage’ is a little bit too high.
“Although it will not change anything for tomorrow, for next year he (Whiting) can do a better job with these kind of kerbs.”
Massa is concerned, though, there may now be a repeat in the race, adding: “I hope not with me, but yes it could happen.
“It’s a high-speed corner where you have a low kerb, and then this high ’sausage’ behind it.
“When it’s like that and the car has a lot of downforce, a lot of power to the ground, and when you hit concrete like that, you can have a failure with the suspension, as happened with me.
“I didn’t take the kerb that strongly, I took just a little, but my suspension didn’t survive, so it could be a problem in the race.
“It’s better to have them a bit higher, like normal kerbs, which I feel should change for the future.”
Red Bull’s Mark Webber, however, offered Massa his thoughts on how to avoid a similar accident.
“I think Kamui (Kobayashi) hit it yesterday with the middle of the chassis (on his Sauber) and he went into the air,” said Webber.
“So maybe it’s better to misjudge it a lot more than just misjudge it by not much.
“I suppose you try and stay away from them. That’s the best thing, but it’s not always easy.”
As for Hamilton, he is unsure what Massa is complaining about as he said: “I think they’re the best kerbs we’ve had.
“As for the orange parts they are a lot shallower, not as high or steep as at some of the other circuits.
“They’ve done a great job with them. You can ride the rest of the kerb and they’re quite wide. Normally, you can lose a bit of time on them, but I think they’re great.”
