By Jonathan Noble
Felipe Massa reckons rival Lewis Hamilton should have waited to have retaken the lead from Kimi Raikkonen in the Belgian Grand Prix, after claiming the Briton was 'too optimistic' in making his controversial move at La Source.
Hamilton was handed a 25-second penalty for gaining an advantage after cutting the chicane two laps from home. Although he handed the lead back to Raikkonen on the start-finish straight, he retook it seconds later with a move down the inside at the hairpin.
And Massa, who inherited the victory from Hamilton on Sunday evening, says he has no doubts his British rival was in the wrong judging by what is said to drivers by the FIA.
"Immediately after the podium ceremony, we knew the incident was under investigation and my first reaction was to find out what had actually happened, as I didn't see it when I was on the track," Massa wrote in his official blog on Monday.
"What Lewis did is the sort of thing that can happen, but I think he was maybe a bit too optimistic in thinking he could just hand back the position, albeit only partially to Kimi and then immediately try and pass him again.
"Incidents like this have often been discussed in the official driver briefings when it has been made absolutely clear that anyone cutting a chicane has to fully restore the position and also any other eventual advantage gained.
"If Lewis had taken the chicane correctly, he would never have been able to pass Kimi on the very short straight that follows it. That was my immediate opinion after seeing the replay. Maybe if Lewis had waited and tried to pass on the next straight, that would have been a different matter."
Massa said he was only thinking about the championship position throughout the race in Belgium - whereas teammate Raikkonen openly admitted it was win or bust for him.
"It is now looking very interesting in terms of the championship, as I am just two points behind," said Massa. "I drove my race in Spa to finish, thinking about the championship situation and I did the right thing, because I gained one place after Kimi's crash and then after the race, came another move up the finish order..
"I am happy with that because the championship is really open now. But there are still five races to go and so we need to do a good job. The last couple of laps in Spa were extremely slippery and so I slowed down even more than normal because I saw there was a comfortable gap to the guy behind and I just wanted to make sure I finished the race.
"If I had been in a fight for another position, I would have pushed harder. But I was thinking more of the championship situation and I did not want to finish without any points, through taking risks.
"While I am pleased to have won, I have to feel sorry for Kimi too. I know what it is like to be leading a race and then losing it with a few laps to go. He was in a different situation to me when the rain came, as he was fighting for the win. It is very frustrating for him, especially after he drove a great race."
Source:
http://www.autosport.com