Massa unmoved by Ferrari disaster

SINGAPORE – A foul-up at the pit crushed Felipe Massa’s hopes of overtaking Lewis Hamilton in the overall standings for the World Drivers’ Championship but despite blowing pole position and a comfortable lead after 17 laps, the Brazilian refused to blame his crew for the fatal error that led to a disappointing 13th place finish at the Marina Bay street circuit here Sunday night.

Massa, 27, topped the qualifiers the night before and took pole position in the 15th leg of the Formula One Grand Prix season. The Sao Paolo firebrand was confident because in the four races he started pole this year, he breezed to victory. And from every early indication, Massa was headed for another triumph in Formula One’s first-ever night race.

But an unexpected pit error struck a fatal blow to Massa’s quest. He lost about 120 seconds and fell from first to 18th, turning the 61-lap event into a wide open race.

It all began when a safety car intervened after an incident involving Nelson Piquet, Jr. on the 15th lap. As the cars slowed on the track, Massa decided to take advantage to refuel in the pit.

Somehow, the green light flashed for Massa to resume driving even as the fuel rig was still attached to his car. He roared forward, the hose dangling from the side of the bright red speed machine, spilling fuel on the ground and knocking a crewman down. Massa stopped as the hose was detached from his car by frantic mechanics. He was slapped a drive-through penalty and ended up 13th with six drivers unable to finish among 20. The crew member who fell was brought out of the pit lane on a stretcher and rushed to a nearby hospital.

Obviously, Massa wasn’t at fault. Once a driver is given the green light, he’s good to go. He’s not expected to look back and check if the tires are in place or the fuel hose is safely removed. Every second counts in a pit stop and that’s why the crew must operate like clockwork. The driver is absolutely dependent on the crew doing its job and giving the go-signal to return to the track.

The rule of thumb is the work in the pit lane must be finished in less than 10 seconds. The goal is seven seconds for a 25-man crew to change four wheels, deposit 65 liters of fuel (the hose has a capacity to deliver 12 liters a second), adjust the front wing, clean the radiator ducts, lower the jacks and send the car back on the road.

Roles are clearly defined for every man in the crew. For instance, there are three men assigned for each wheel. One removes the old tire, the second fits the new and the third, a gunman, reattaches nut–all in about three seconds. The gunman attaches a pneumatic impact wrench to the wheel’s single, central nut even before the car stops and removes nut in a second.

Others in the crew are a nozzle man who attaches the hose to deliver a pre-programmed amount of fuel, according to strategy; a front jackman who holds the car until the work is finished and a lollipop man who controls the stop, tells the driver when to move to first gear and when to leave. The lollipop man must be aware of the cars moving on the track and exercise precise timing in guiding the driver out of the pit lane.

Unlike other Formula One teams, Ferrari doesn’t employ a lollipop man. Instead, it uses overhead lights to prompt the driver with green or red signals. 

At the European Grand Prix in Valencia last August, Massa got the green light to leave the pit but drove straight into the path of Adrian Sutil’s car. He backed off in time, took a hefty 10,000 euros fine but still won the race after starting on pole. That should’ve tipped off Ferrari team manager Stefano Domenicali to straighten out the exit kink.

There was no word if Ferrari has plans to designate a lollipop man for future races.

Massa, who was only a point behind Hamilton in the overall standings before Sunday’s race, failed to score here and is now seven behind in the leader board. Worse, his inability to score put Ferrari in jeopardy as McLaren moved up to first place in the constructors’ race with teammate Kimi Raikkonen also winding up out of the top eight.

Raikkonen struck a wall at a turn and a tire cracked loose with four laps left. The Finn squandered a chance to score vital points as he was safely in fifth when the accident happened. A fifth place finish for Raikkonen would’ve earned Ferrari four points and enough of a cushion to stay on top in the constructors’ race.

“We are all human beings, everybody can make mistakes,” said Massa. “I am not the kind of guy who goes to the guy and fights with him. I go to the guy and give him even more motivation because we need him and we need everybody together for the last races of the season.”