Formula One news

Human error caused Massa pit blunder

Ferrari team principal Stefano Domenicali reflected on a disappointing evening in Singapore for his team, the first race in 46 that Ferrari has failed to score a single point. He went on to confirm that it was the error of a mechanic which gave Massa the green light to leave the pits too early, and ruined his race.

"We had the potential to finish first and second but we didn't even pick up a point," said Domenicali. "We are very disappointed but that doesn't mean we are downtrodden. We have always shown our ability to react, especially at the most difficult times and we will do it again this time. The situation in the two championships has become more complicated but there are still three races to go and a lot of points up for grabs. We know what we have to do to reach our objectives."

"The first part of the race showed that today our car was the quickest on track," he added. "The Safety Car came out at the worst possible moment, but we are not looking for excuses because this uncertain factor must always be taken into account. Then the team made a mistake at the pit stop during the Safety Car period, which cost Massa the race. I am very sorry for Felipe because he was driving a very strong race following on from a great pole yesterday. I want to point out that it was Felipe himself who went to console the mechanic who made the mistake, which shows the team spirit that we have between us: we win together and we lose together."

"Kimi managed to get into the points but then he ended up in the barriers at one of the many tricky points around this track," Domenicali went on. "A shame, as it would have meant precious points for the Constructors' classification. We must look ahead and prepare ourselves as well as possible for the remaining three races."

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