Massa calls for kerb change after crash

2011 Indian Grand Prix

October 29, 2011 at 12:57 pm by Keith Collantine

Felipe Massa, Ferrari, Buddh International Circuit, 2011

Felipe Massa says the kerb he hit when he crashed in qualifying should be changed for next year.

Massa said: “What happened on my last timed lap was a real shame.

“Today, we had the potential to secure a good placing, as Fernando [Alonso] demonstrated and as can also be seen from the fact my sixth best time was set with a rather slow third sector.

“I came into turn eight and went over the kerb and the front right suspension gave way in the impact with the raised orange part, which in my opinion is too high at this point. It’s a very fast corner, taken at around 215kph and it could be arranged differently.

“These are details that need improving for next year.”

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82 comments on Massa calls for kerb change after crash

Scalextric (@scalextric) said on 30th October 2011, 1:24

If other teams’ cars hit this or other similar kerbs, then I hope they’re all checking the suspension parts. I assume/hope such safety checks are allowed under parc fermé rules.

mclarenlife said on 30th October 2011, 2:44

In all fairness, the same curb has been in position since Thursday when he must have first seen it. ‘IF’ it was too big, why not object then and get the backing off the other drivers. To first crash and then complain is just being a bad sport.

Sorry Massa, you just sound like a cry baby. I don’t want to be mean, but it sounds like a driver struggling with his F1 career. Kerb too high, car too red, Alonso too fast, grab your socks and drive!

Can’t see Vettel, Hamilton, Weber or anyone else complain after making a mistake themselves.

As per safety, I don’t see any problem with high ‘inside’ curbing. As a driver myself, I can assure you that hitting an inside curb is almost 100% your choice, sometimes, things happen in a corner and you run wide. High curbs on the outside are hence, dangerous. This isn’t bad at all, for pete’s sake, they race in Monaco and he doesn’t complain of the barrier’s being so close!

Oliver said on 30th October 2011, 5:04

Like the stupid chicane at Singapore, there are unintended consequences of a driver cutting the corner the wrong way. Sometimes it is not the intention of the driver, but simply the handling of the car.
A driver could suddenly have over steer as he tries to negotiate the corner, or he may have tried to compensate for an under steering car, and missed his target.
At the moment it is easy to blame Massa, but when we have some freak accident, the FIA will realise that there are some things you can’t attempt to do to a very fast moving car.

thatnoone said on 30th October 2011, 6:02

lets change its name.. call it “Cheetos”?!

orange, hard and big lump on the track

TED BELL said on 30th October 2011, 7:24

Looked more like a “ditch” problem than a curb. Didn’t his tire drop into what I would call a ditch, the lowspot outside of the tracks edge from everybody cutting the corner. Was his suspension sliced off or did the wheel catch the ditch and then get ripped from the lower suspension arm?? This could have happened to any number of drivers so give Massa a break he was hanging it all out.

Fixy (@fixy) said on 30th October 2011, 20:19

I don’t understand, is Massa the only one cutting the corners? If so then I’m happy that he is aggressive, it’s a pity that when he is on form something happens to him.

Joey-Poey (@joey-poey) said on 31st October 2011, 4:00

I have a very simple and cost effective solution for Massa’s problem: stop chopping the apex so far. If the curb is destroying your suspension, don’t hit the curb so heavily! Nobody else had this problem which to me is a sign this is more down to his driving style than to the curbs themselves.