Massa hits out at 'superman' Hamilton
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Shanghai Daily, September 27, 2011
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Ferrari driver Felipe Massa (front) and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton come in for a pit stop during the Singapore F1 Grand Prix at the Marina Bay City Circuit n Sunday. |
Ferrari driver Felipe Massa has lashed out at Lewis Hamilton after a collision in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix, accusing the Briton of trying "to be superman" and endangering fellow drivers.
McLaren driver Hamilton ran into the back of the Ferrari on lap 12, forcing Massa to pit with a shredded tire. Hamilton stopped soon after for a new front wing and then had to serve a pit drive-through penalty.
Massa confronted Hamilton after the race following two straight days of on-track incidents between the pair but Hamilton walked away without answering, according to Massa. In Saturday's last qualifying period, Hamilton muscled his way past Massa as they prepared for a flying lap.
"He destroyed my race," Massa said. "Yesterday he tried to be superman in the qualifying and today he tried to do the same, he could have caused a big accident."
Hamilton, who edged Massa for the 2008 championship, has been involved in a series of scraps and accidents this year - most notably colliding with his teammate Jenson Button in Canada, with Massa in Monaco and with Kamui Kobayashi in Belgium.
After the race on Sunday, Massa walked up to Hamilton as the Englishman was about to begin a television interview, tapped him on the shoulder and gave him a sarcastic thumbs up as the pair exchanged angry words. Hamilton did not immediately address his clashes with Massa in post-race comments. "I had fun picking off cars after my penalty, but it was frustrating to once again be down the field," Hamilton said in a statement released by McLaren.
Attacking style
The Briton's attacking style has won him a legion of fans who admire his daring passes, but also his share of detractors for alleged reckless driving. After a practice session on Friday, Hamilton defended his aggressive approach.
"I drive the way I drive and if people have an issue with it, that's their problem," Hamilton said. "I don't ever try to endanger anyone. I drive aggressive because my car is not fast enough and I have to push."
Massa urged race officials to come down hard.
"It's important that FIA is looking and penalizing him all the time," Massa said. "He's paying for it because he had the drive through. But he can't listen, he can't understand, he doesn't learn anything. That's the problem."
Meanwhile, Massa's Ferrari teammate Fernando Alonso said the rest of this season must be dedicated to preparing for 2012, because the team will not be introducing any technical advancements for the remainder of the season.
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