Magnussen should have backed off, says Massa

2014 German Grand Prix

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Felipe Massa said Kevin Magnussen could have avoided their collision on the first lap if the McLaren driver had backed off.

The Williams driver was tipped into a dramatic roll at the first corner after the pair made contact.

“Going into the first corner I was near to Valtteri but had to back off to stop an accident, sadly some others didn’t do the same,” said Massa. “I am obviously very disappointed.”

“Luckily I am ok but I am not happy,” he added. “I was in front going into the corner, and so to have another race ended by another driver is not easy.”

“I am doing my best, the team are doing their best, and we just aren’t getting the chances we need.”

Magnussen insisted he did everything he could to avoid the contact.

“I need to see a replay of the accident, but I feel that, if I’d had somewhere to go, then there wouldn’t have been contact with Felipe,” he said. “I did my best to try and avoid the accident, but there wasn’t much else I could do.”

No penalties were issued for the collision after the stewards ruled Massa had been keeping an eye on team mate Valtteri Bottas before the clash with the McLaren.

“The stewards took into account that this was the first turn of the first lap, cars 77 [Bottas], 19 [Massa] and 20 [Magnussen] were entering turn one and it appears [Massa] was concentrating on [Bottas],” they said in a statement.

“There was no intentional turning in by [Massa] on [Magnussen],” they added. “[Massa’s] rear right wheels impacted with the left front of [Magnussen].”

2014 German Grand Prix

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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105 comments on “Magnussen should have backed off, says Massa”

  1. Just for once Massa admit your mistake and stop blaming others.

    1. While I disagree with Massa that this was in any way Magnussen’s fault, I do think it is worth pointing out that (as far as I can recall) Massa’s other incidents this season were not down to mistakes by him, but were caused by another driver (or at least their car). Melbourne, was the result of a brake failure on the Caterham, in Montreal two sets of stewards and the overhead timelapse (from Scarbs I think?) demonstrated the incident was Perez’s fault, in Silverstone Massa didn’t really blame anyone, but at the very least, he did well to avoid an even bigger accident. Have I forgotten any?

      1. Do you remember how childish he was in Australia? It was ridiculous. And in Silverstone it’s amazing how Raikkonen’s first words were to ask about Massa, while Massa rushed to moaning for the rest of the weekend.

        1. As I recall, Massa reacted strongly to the Australia incident when being interviewed about 5 minutes after it had happened (angry reactions from drivers in the immediate aftermath of getting taken out of races are not limited to Massa), and before it became apparent that it was a fault with Kobayashi’s car… even Kobayashi thought it was his error at first (he actually apologised to Massa). At Silverstone Massa seemed quite philosophical about the incident, I don’t recall him “moaning for the rest of the weekend” at all, or criticising Raikkonen’s actions (though numerous other people argued Raikkonen should have been penalised for his decision-making).

      2. Anyway you look at it Massa drove straight into the back of Perez and the incident today was his fault. You don’t always get into accidents with it never being your fault. Kimi has had like one accident in 2 years, Massa has had 3 this year on the first lap alone. I hope Williams has figured out why Ferrari fired him and put someone else in the car that understands how to finish races.

    2. Massa must be the driver with the least peripheral spatial awareness on the grid. OK, that’s relative, but the number of incidents where he’s failed to see someone trying to pass him are legion.

    3. I agree, Massa is expecting everyone to let him past, yet again racing incident.

    4. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
      21st July 2014, 14:30

      +1 – In 2011, he was so mad at Lewis for not following him around the track while he left massive gaps to pass, then would close it down all of a sudden.

  2. You get what you give. Remember when he blew Perez”s race in Canada. How was Perez to be blamed if he is blameless today.Utter waste of a drive for Williams should be looking to replace this bloke. Bye Massa nice to have seen u racing but you lost it in 2008 and have never been the same agaib

    1. Exactly. That incident at Montreal, Massa was desperate to overtake Chico, so he made a move that he shouldn’t have. Until today, I fail to see how Perez was at fault. I’m also very surprised that Massa has once again being let off for making an abrupt charge to the racing line, resulting in this collision with Magnussen. Massa should really take himself out of F1 for the sake of Williams and the safety of other drivers. Bottas is making a mockery of Massa as well…

    2. pastaman (@)
      21st July 2014, 2:32

      That was Perez’s fault

      1. Massa could have brought the car home but decided to take big risks. When I hit the car in front of me on the road it is my fault and when I run into the back of someone else racing like Massa did I consider it my fault if I drive straight into the back of him and don’t turn.

      2. Yes Massa said so too !

  3. Felipe is on pace to make sure that nobody feels sorry for him any more for what happened here four years ago by the time we get to Spa.

    1. I agree, he is in a competition to keep up with Maldanado it seems

    2. You simply can not cut across from being the third car on the outside on the entry of the corner to the apex of the corner!

      He is no racer, that’s for sure.

      1. Agree. Not at the start for sure !

  4. If it happened later in the race I would back Massa, but at the start it’s just a racing incident… no one’s fault really.

    1. Really? I saw the replays from about 5 angles, and all of them point to that Massa went around Magnussen, didn’t leave MAG enough room, and got taken out for it.

      1. Agreed. I may sound like a skipping record but Massa just takes ‘his’ line even if there is someone else on it. He has a lot of crashes like this because he never leaves room, totally missing racecraft.

        1. Kevin Magnussen clearly was in the corner when Massa chose to turn into it, as if no one else could be there. It is a typical Massa blunder one of many through out his career. Please resign now Massa, before you create more danger for yourself and others.

  5. I am not sure about this one… It seems to me that FM is prone to immediately put the blame on others.
    I honestly don’t know what KM did wrong. Couldn’t you give room and avoid contact Felipe ?

    I understand that his frustration must be immense after 2 races that were aborted after a few seconds, but contrary to Silvertone, he has to take a big portion of the blame this time.

  6. Neil (@neilosjames)
    20th July 2014, 17:33

    No one’s right or wrong, it was a perfect example of a racing incident. Maybe Magnussen could have backed out, but equally Massa could have conceded the corner.

    Felipe, just accept your 50% of the blame and move on…

    1. It was the start, so it’s harder to back out than paying attention to what’s going on around and being more careful. As said here already, he moved from outside to the inside of the corner like was alone on track. I don’t think that’s something to do at the start, when everybody is desperate to gain some positions and/or unless the driver is 110% sure what’s going on around him. I’m not saying that is only Massa’s fault, but his racecraft is questionable more and more.

    2. Massa cannot accept his 50%, nor would he accept 1%. He makes judgement errors putting himself into situations many other drivers avoid. In Canada, it was Perez who was at fault yet the corner Massa was going for a pass was no place to pass with the positions of each car, unless maybe it was the start of the race, where side by side racing happens through the first and often second corners. The rules are clear, room needs to be provided if any part of the car is beside the other (or did this change or small I wrong).

    3. (@neilosjames)
      I’d argue blame can be apportioned slightly more to KMags than Massa, but it was still the textbook definition of a racing incident. However his inability to act with any class in regards to his colleagues is getting a little wearing.

  7. Felipe is right on this one.

    You can’t go 2 wide through turn 1, Kevin was only half way alongside Felipe (If that) & should have backed off knowing that there’s no room for 2 cars wide there.
    If Kevin was fully alongside or slightly ahead of Massa then you could say he had the corner, However he wasn’t so should have backed off.

    Also shows why the Standing Restarts for 2014 are a dangerous idea. Desperate drivers diving up the inside desperate to make up places mid-pack is a recipe for carnage.

    1. However, BOT cut across MAG, and MAG had nowhere to go, and to compound that, MAG probably didn’t see MAS, whereas MAS had to have seen MAG, and should have left MAG some room

      1. why would he had to have? the angle between the cars would have put MAG outside massas right mirror by a long shot…

    2. Magnussen was already backing off for Bottas. Maybe he should have pulled over and let every other driver past before attempting the corner himself?

      1. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
        21st July 2014, 14:27

        @matt90 +1, yes how inconsiderate of him to not stop the car around the corner and cause a massive accident:-)

    3. “Felipe is right on this one. You can’t go 2 wide through turn 1, Kevin was only half way alongside Felipe (If that) & should have backed off knowing that there’s no room for 2 cars wide there.”

      So just after Massa and Magnussen, the two Red Bull cars going through the corner next to each other were actually just one car? I am confused! @RogerPGR

    4. Nobody back off going into the first corner, ever. Watch what Ricciardo did on the same turn he left space knowing that someone would probably be there. Everyone leaves room for another car going into the first turn except the leader and Massa of course.

  8. I love how Massa said to be Pinkham (I think) that he was a victim of GP2 driving standards.

    Someone should tell him that the only time Kevin Magnussen ever drove a GP2 car was in post-season testing last year.

    1. Someone should tell Massa he is driving like a GP3 driver.

      1. That’s totally true. It was a silly rookie mistake by Massa, not giving enough room. He was going to the first corner as it was his last chance. This is not a championship winner mentality. He could be less greedy and then get a few good points. The same would have happened in Canada if he was more careful when overtaking Perez.

      2. haha…good one.!!!

        F1 should leave F1. Give Susie a shot and see how she’d go! We all know what happens with Felipe.

        1. “F1 should leave F1.”

          Correction…”Massa should leave F1″

  9. It looked like six of one, half a dozen of the other to me (after replays). Stewards called it right at least.

  10. I’m ‘waiting’ for more of such accidents next year, when standing starts will be introduced (sarcasm).

  11. I think Massa was more to blame, just swept across in front of Magnussen, but a racing incident was probably the right call, after all, Massa took enough of a penalty by taking himself out.

    If he keeps this up, I wonder if Williams will decide to give Susie Wolff or Felipe Nasr a shot?

    1. True. Nasr just got a second place on GP2

    2. If they give the seat to Nasr, Williams wouldnt even lose Massa’s sponsor (Petrobras) and would gain another (Banco do Brasil). He literally brings nothing to the team (other than camera time during his crashes).

    3. Massa was completely to blame every driver in F1 except the leader leaves room for another car going into turn one, except Massa that is. If you do what Massa did going into turn 1 you will hit another car every time.

    4. Aditya (@adityafakhri)
      21st July 2014, 10:17

      it’s quite amazing that Williams seems to get wrong driver when their cars have the speed. once with Maldonado, and now with Massa.
      Massa had the racing line and in front of Magnussen, but he shouldn’t swept the corner like in qualifying when it’s a first corner after start.

      1. not only Pastor but with Bruno too. that car was a race winner but with two chiltons in it ;)

      2. Michael Brown (@)
        21st July 2014, 16:36

        At least they have Bottas this year.

  12. Massa is clearly to blame for this one. Of course he knows it, but he is just lashing out cause he is frustated and knows that he will probably loose his seat next season.

  13. Massa drive like the others obligated to let him through. Not because Kevin is a rookie you don’t pay any attention to him; he was right next to you on the grid so you gotta at least expect him to be there in the corner. For the replay and the stewards decision, they all point to massa watching his teammate as he leaves him in the dust

    1. Exactly – Massa starts on K Mags outside on The grid. Where do Massa expect him to be then in the first corner? Massa should have stayed on the outside and accepted that K Mag passed him.

  14. well, I guess he was right that had KM backed off it would have avoided the incident – Kevin probably should have too – as chances are he would have got the place back when Massa went and hit someone else

  15. Massa is an idiot, He never ever accepts the blame for his actions.

    Watch the helicopter cam in this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srUViNIc8II

    At the point Massa makes the decision to swipe into the apex of the corner at around 3 seconds into the video Magnussen is pretty much level with Massa, there is absolutely no question of that. The rules say that under normal racing not even first lap racing that if someone is even half way along the side of you then you must leave them room, Kevin goes up the kerb as far as he can but Massa just goes for the Apex like he’s on lap 10. At the first corner after a start you should fully expect someone to be there because for most people there is going to be.

    I am so glad he didn’t win the title in ’08 because he never deserved it, I would appreciate if someone can post the .gif of his family going from joy to despair in 2 seconds at Brazil in ’08, makes me laugh every time.

    He needs to give that seat up and hang up his gloves, there are many many drivers who would make far better use of that car than he does, give it to Wolff lets see what she’s made of in race trim with a good car.

  16. Felipe is too much of an average driver to admit his mistakes. Mag’s start was compromised by Bottas excessive wheel spin at the start. For those who think that Bottas should have simply backed off, you have no idea of what racing is. In his mind, I am sure, if he backed off, he would have risked being hit from behind. After all, anybody who knows anything about racing knows that the dash to the first corner is the most dangerous part of the race, with very little room for errors.

    Massa’s irresponsible move trying to reach the apex without any spatial awareness of his adversaries just proves hows mediocre to average he is. If it were not for William’s desperate need for cash and Massa’s brazilian money, after Maldonado’s departure with PDVSA’s millions, they would have never signed him.

    1. Exactly.

    2. Spot on +1

  17. Why does Massa blames everybody else for the accidents he’s involved in? He never accepts any responsibility. Personally I thought todays accident was 100% Massa’s fault as he failed to give Magnussen any kind of racing room on the inside of the corner. Magnussen was already on the kerb, what was Magnussen supposed to do vanish into thin air?

    1. Agree on your point – basically you do not want to start close to Massa, Maldonado or Perez for that matter.

      1. Ahahahaaaaaa ! I bet the rest of the drivers are not happy at all now that the threats are multiplying ! Now, when a driver is asked what’s the driving force behind them in Quali, the answer is: to get as far as possible from Massa, Maldonado and Perez !

      2. Mag has his fair share of first lap incidents too, mostly with Raikkonen. But Massa is very poor at patience.
        Massa ! Bottas is kicking your but big time !

  18. “…if you do not go for a gap, then you are no longer a racing driver.”

    1. Michael Brown (@)
      20th July 2014, 18:55

      And a lot of good that did. Like Japan 1990.

      1. LotsOfControl (@for-unlawful-carnal-knowledge)
        20th July 2014, 19:07

        I agree. Hamilton did it twice today and has only Kimi and Jenson to thank, that he didn’t crash out of the race. If it were any of younger “Senna is God” fanboy drivers, he would have been left crying by the track with his broken Mercedes.

      2. I didn’t say I condoned the action, I just wrote it as it made me laugh when it popped into my head during reading.

        No need for any antagonism over a throwaway comment. I’m well aware of the circumstances in which it was said.

        :^)

        1. Michael Brown (@)
          20th July 2014, 22:37

          No antagonism intended, I’m saying that thinking causes accidents.

      3. In Japan 1990 Senna wasn’t going for a gap he admitted it after the season was over. He intentionally crashed Prost out and held his foot to the floor the entire time which you don’t do if you plan on making the corner.

    2. That quote has to be the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard in my entire life. Jesus Christ…

      1. It was a stupid excuse Senna made during an interview with Jackie Stewart when he was afraid to admit he intentionally crashed into Prost for fear they wold take is title away. He admitted it after the 1991 season was over and they could no longer take the title away.

  19. In his long career and with his record of being involved in many accidents has he ever held his hand up and said SORRY IT WAS MY FAULT?

    1. He’s still blaming Piquet Jr for his title loss in 2008, you know…

      1. He blames Alonso more than Piquet. Because “he knew” …

  20. Booo Felipe. booo….

  21. I think Magnussen did incredibly well off the start. A driver with GP2 mentality would’ve dived down the inside of bottas, but he backed out of it and slotted in behind bottas and on the inside of massa, who simply didn’t pay attention to that. Some would call it a racing incident, but i believe Massa should’ve got a penalty for causing a collision. He’s just wasting so much of Wliliams’ potential it’s unreal. I’m starting to feel that he’s just not up to the driving standarts of f1 anymore. Consider that Bottas only has one and a half season of F1 experience, you’d think Massas experience would help him to be in front of Bottas, but so far Bottas has outperformed Massa most of the time. Just shows that he’s simply an average driver, who has become a pay-driver now.

    It’s interesting to see that Magnussen still ended up P9, one wonders what he could’ve done if it wasn’t for that first corner incident.

    1. If I were Claire Williams, I would ditch Massa and take Hulkenberg back.

      1. I would take Magnussen

        1. I have a feeling that Ron wont let that happen anytime soon.

    2. Agree… but I think this is how Massa was all the time. The way this season develops for him I think it’s proof enough that all the talking about Ferrari “destroying” him mentaly, psychologically etc with the no.2 status… was just BS ! Now he’s with a new team, with a team that recovered from a long time of mediocre results and that offered equal treatment to their drivers… yet again Massa racecraft is quite poor. Look at Austrian GP again, he started from pole, but finished 4th, behind his team mate. Kinda pathetic given his opinion about himself as a driver.

  22. “Going into the first corner I was near to Valtteri but had to back off to stop an accident,” – certainly didn’t look like he was backing off there IMO. I thought he just hadn’t seen Magnussen inside.

    But if he did see him then he should have backed off instead of trying to go to the inside there.

  23. It’s 99% Massa’s fault and maybe 1% Magnussen’s fault. Magnussen was much faster off the line and had the inside line, he even backed off a little. Massa just turned in on him and ruined his and Magnussen’s race! Just shut up and drive Massa you careless Maldonadoist. Well that’s a new word xD

    1. He should have backed of even more.
      He was behind.
      What you’re saying is that on that crash with Hamilton and Maldonado a few years ago, nearly identical to this one, Maldonado was to blame. Wrongo.

      1. A typical Massa fan comment :P

  24. I think it was a racing incident. Massa tried to leave a bit of space, he didn’t go straight for the apex, but it wasn’t enough. Turn one is a difficult corner, everyone is so close at the start, I think that accidents like that can happen, no need to blame people.

    Having said that, it’s the second time this year that a car has flipped due to wheel to wheel contact. I expect that there will be discussions about improving the safety in these situations.

  25. I like and support Massa, but it’s entirely his fault. A racing incident, quite scary though. If anything had to stand in the path of his car, any debris, it would go straight on the helmet.

  26. This is racing and sometimes a driver need to be rough.
    If Massa leaves room for MAG there and looses the position, he would be to blame anyway. This is still a fighting for position.
    Magnussen should have backed off. He was clearly behind on the approach to the corner.
    You can’t go expecting everyone to leave space to you in a RACE.
    A driver must know when to keep going or not.

    1. I guess you will never say this line for the Perez-Massa collision in CA. Fan or not, accept it and move on…

      “This is still a fighting for position.”

      1. Why instead of telling me your point you keep talking about this childish thing of being a fan?
        I’m not Massa’s fan, this is my opinion.

        You could give yours or start talking crap about fans. You made your choice.

    2. And backing off, as some already said, would mean collision with cars from behind.. So, well MAG hardly a choice.

      1. Yeah, and the guys behind MAG don’t have brakes themselves?
        Think about what you write friend.

        1. You clearly are a Massa fan Edvaldo :) And that is only fair, but don´t say that FM and KM weren´t in the corner at the same time… Look at the helicoptershots… FM just doesn´t leave room and drives as if he is alone in the 1 corner of the race… Clearly a stupid mistake…. Like he made a ton of times in his own first season…

  27. When Massa can say things like this, he most be living in his own world.
    It makes Massa a joke and any team as well that hire such an crashguy….

  28. I didn’t like the way Massa was complaining that these young drivers come in from GP2 and do stuff. He should learn to start accepting his mistakes. I have never seen him admit even once . it is always somebody else’s fault. With a field growing lush with young talent, he should better watch out. Sir Williams won’t be patient for a long time.

  29. Massa as been often on the eye of the storm but (he sais) never is his fault… i’m starting to see a pattern there, always playing victim and never assuming resposability. I would like to see Susie doing some racing on that car!

  30. I am shocked at people blaming Massa. Just wow, im the first to have pops at him like of youre to slow Massa but look at Massa’s onboard. KMag nose was not even in shot, you either blame no one or you blame Mag it is that simple. Was Mag alongside? No he was not.

    1. Please, Mag was on racing line! Race start is not queuing up to see whose nose is ahead of whom so that they can line up going into a corner.

    2. in a first corner if you are on the outside line, you leave a cars width on the inside just incase… its called self preservation and you learn it in karting. you cant win the race at the first corner, but you can deffinately lose it.

  31. Massa is the biggest cry baby F1 has ever seen! Every time it’s someone else. It’s never even a ‘racing incident’ with Massa, it’s ‘so and so is dangerous’, ‘so and so should have backed down’. Put him out to pasture, Frank.

  32. It was a racing incident. That is all.

  33. If you are on the outside of the first corner and you cut in to clip the apex on the first turn there will be a car there every time. Massa it’s time to retire before someone gets hurt. What is worse is if they don’t punish him he will go on believing that it’s never his fault.

  34. If Mag backed out he would of lost so many positions that it would be dangerous due to him having to slow to make the corner due to the angle of approach, he takes it either early and gets a penalty or does what he does and gets hit.

    Massa now needs to think about what is happening with his racing. Whilst he team mate is gaining plaudits and becoming a hero with racing fans, he has been in a many number of crashes which the large proportion of which are avoidable. Take Canada for example, he could of avoided that accident, saved him and Perez a trip to the hospital and gained some points.

    That being said, this little incident can either be seen as his fault or K-Mag’s fault. Massa was taking the normal line, all be it a little aggressive, so he is in the right. K-Mag had a great start which caused him problems and proved he wasn’t to blame because there was nothing he could do.

  35. What struck me was FM’s remark when they interviewed him about mid-race, presumably after he had been checked out by the medics. I’m paraphrasing and he said something to the effect that it is the responsibility of the guy behind to check up to avoid an incident. I’ve always thought that was the case in general, most of the time, as it is the guy behind who has the clearer vision of circumstances and has to assume the guy in front has the racing line or whatever line he has chosen, whatever real estate he has chosen, and it is up to the guy behind to adapt. The guy in front has only his mirrors and shouldn’t be expected to have as good a judgement on the whole interaction. He’s usually going to use the racing line or something close, and may also do his one move to defend, and then back to the racing line, and they are also to leave a car width for the guy behind.

    So what struck me immediately about Massa’s in-race interview was that if he expected KM to back off, then why didn’t he, FM, back off in Canada. Yeah I know umpteen stewards looked at it and still blamed Perez, but that doesn’t mean FM couldn’t have or shouldn’t have backed off to avoid a collision based on the same principal he would used to have KM back off in Germany.

  36. You can’t just assume there’s noone on your racing line.

  37. Angus Podgorney
    21st July 2014, 22:38

    Massa’s a whiner and a crash magnet.

  38. Kevin Magnussen clearly was in the corner when Massa chose to turn into it, as if no one else could be there. It is a typical Massa blunder one of many through out his career. Please resign now Massa, before you create more danger for yourself and others.

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