Massa “lost 40 seconds” due to Hamilton tyre debris

2014 Belgian Grand Prix lap charts

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There were contrasting fortunes for the Williams drivers in Spa, who were separated by over 45 seconds at the chequered flag.

Valtteri Bottas enjoyed a strong run to his fourth podium finish of the season. But what happened to the team’s other car?

Felipe Massa qualified ninth, three places behind his team mate, and they were still in the same positions at the end of lap one. That’s when things went wrong for Massa, following the collision between the two Mercedes drivers.

“Unfortunately at the beginning of the race I had some tyre debris stuck in the floor that came from Hamilton’s car,” he explained. “This made the car very slow, losing about two seconds per lap.”

Massa was passed by Jenson Button and Sergio Perez, and the problem didn’t get better after his first pit stop because his team hadn’t noticed what was wrong with his car.

The debris was removed when Massa came in for his second pit stop on lap 21. “After that I was nearly three seconds quicker and the fastest car on track,” said Massa, “but at this point it was too late for me to really do anything”.

Massa’s lap times were significantly quicker after that second pit stop. But he still had one more stop to make – his final stop with nine laps to go dropped him behind Nico Hulkenberg and Jean-Eric Vergne, where he finished.

Williams’ head of performance engineering Rob Smedley said Massa was “incredibly unlucky” and the debris “probably cost him about 40 seconds in total with his compromised pace and strategy”.

Belgian Grand Prix lap chart

The positions of each driver on every lap. Use the controls below to show/hide different drivers:

https://www.racefans.net/charts/2014drivercolours.csv

01234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344
Nico Rosberg12111111515108754445559875433332222223222222222
Lewis Hamilton2119191919191919191919171616161616181717171716161616161616151516161616161616
Sebastian Vettel332223332247643333333238755554455558888888755
Fernando Alonso443344444433297777776653379988777776666666678
Daniel Ricciardo554432221111411111111111111111111111111111111
Valtteri Bottas665555553322165554444422222225544444444433333
Kevin Magnussen7877777765559766666655471098777666665555555566
Kimi Raikkonen8766666671276522222222386544443333332333344444
Felipe Massa9989910101010141515141414131212121212141414141414141412121111111112131313131313131313
Jenson Button101098888886643310988887764666666998887777777887
Daniil Kvyat1112111111111111117913121211101010101010109991211111111111010101010101010101010101010
Jean-Eric Vergne1215141414141414131089888111414141414121212121112121213161414141313121212121212121212
Sergio Perez13111010109999814111010989999891111111010101010889999999999999
Adrian Sutil141313131313131314111112151515141313131313151515151515151515131313131415151514141414141414
Romain Grosjean15211818181818181818181816171918171716161616161717171717171717171717
Jules Bianchi16222020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020202020191919191918
Pastor Maldonado1717
Nico Hulkenberg18141212121212121291214131312121111111111111010887899101212121211111111111111111111
Max Chilton1920171717171717171717171919181919191919191919191818181818181919191918181818181717171616
Esteban Gutierrez201615151515151515131310111113151515151515131313131313131314141615151514141415151515151515
Andre Lotterer2118
Marcus Ericsson2219161616161616161616161818171718181718181818181919191919191818181817171717171616161717

Belgian Grand Prix race chart

The gaps between each driver on every lap. Use the controls below to show/hide different drivers:

https://www.racefans.net/charts/2014drivercolours.csv

1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738394041424344
Nico Rosberg0.5530000003.58722.98123.48119.06312.8445.5426.2937.0968.44610.20511.17217.72229.75727.32425.9372827.01325.06223.62417.5033.5233.3723.3363.013.6413.6118.02222.56919.67517.78215.49413.16810.8058.4166.2414.373.383
Lewis Hamilton043.4159.51858.83158.72758.33657.89856.86257.67258.27254.58850.19344.8646.95249.55851.9358.81974.25373.51973.28873.18174.15974.36673.90773.9674.4670.13358.11360.34663.03372.03189.7890.06591.54993.98196.78798.615113.491
Sebastian Vettel1.6590.7280.810.9062.0112.0532.2461.6152.8198.00416.53511.0564.6335.7986.587.7988.92410.01110.95411.69712.61917.9331.05630.59331.34931.42326.84914.83216.92518.79921.0223.0625.03230.61744.70644.25444.10943.91543.67943.89744.55347.80150.54652.196
Fernando Alonso2.3581.2121.3062.1822.5242.6812.8532.9854.1475.1011.3471.42813.98715.17415.67116.15316.82617.87618.86619.53122.24424.91726.24526.40132.00946.02940.39327.73528.35929.54529.73130.63831.16832.01232.54133.5936.03737.62239.53341.48143.3647.4251.14961.162
Daniel Ricciardo2.821.7751.7851.4461.1830.7210.74500006.83500000000000000000000000000000000
Valtteri Bottas3.4972.5842.3862.7783.1043.0843.3452.313.4244.3170.13406.3346.7537.738.599.4510.53211.53112.46613.54814.16614.66914.42614.79314.78310.573.07617.79619.17419.53620.51221.40922.24523.53524.31725.36425.98626.86726.36426.27726.29126.428.032
Kevin Magnussen4.8794.6164.9865.4185.8135.4975.7535.5387.2898.8749.79817.54711.80312.53513.75615.13316.15517.18518.17318.91922.07624.26329.54640.96240.47240.84836.74623.83824.88126.19827.18828.33629.32730.79631.75133.11535.81537.08838.65540.37243.04346.96150.57854.262
Kimi Raikkonen3.9093.1753.1143.4413.6363.914.0267.72321.34620.75415.1749.3092.4032.7843.5614.1124.8646.2026.9887.72813.24727.07528.67729.68529.5730.05625.33513.04614.48315.9817.22118.4819.45620.61821.67623.08424.53725.46326.32228.51929.81431.11732.98636.815
Felipe Massa5.6885.9157.7769.61911.5712.21413.79114.29522.77139.6023631.88227.09529.54133.00635.75438.73141.54543.83646.57454.00868.17367.09265.39364.36763.60658.46246.8148.35549.62650.74552.20553.70755.72562.26576.06475.34574.50573.86674.14374.0474.29774.40675.975
Jenson Button6.0236.7547.4618.2318.6938.5468.6778.31410.18311.5518.8854.8574.1218.49519.69720.94521.74822.1622.47722.6523.61125.64227.63430.05731.8133.06429.31217.67424.60138.27138.1239.08539.5740.07240.63841.17641.6541.74142.10142.60143.96248.40451.64354.58
Daniil Kvyat6.8347.7648.84310.51212.22512.86214.32214.75616.05621.75231.50725.61718.84419.59421.8823.40425.08126.90328.49230.21931.71534.29735.59640.89556.9256.10751.31838.74140.63342.43343.42744.79946.10847.20548.47350.18952.22953.83855.63557.15359.01960.67362.5765.347
Jean-Eric Vergne8.80910.6511.93213.30714.82216.12817.34216.96319.39821.20419.53916.08912.05315.69123.29638.96940.85143.01744.7147.68650.47751.87353.7254.55855.77857.7153.784248.60463.2962.82663.25563.50264.00263.93964.1464.35364.66465.05465.66766.28367.64869.32771.92
Sergio Perez6.3417.1728.1699.96110.43910.65711.00311.04216.91531.01726.00320.88115.4616.75119.47222.30324.5826.06727.64829.09331.0937.79751.67551.30350.92350.59645.78233.20334.64936.60737.77440.72942.8444.46646.65749.18851.02452.66354.43656.45958.11359.67261.56364.293
Adrian Sutil7.8159.18410.84612.49214.51415.47716.72917.8220.43123.88926.00535.4629.00530.5833.32436.01539.07942.01444.40346.95654.63269.54769.66469.04968.74368.17463.62751.653.38155.26356.62958.85860.867.40981.73680.74480.45879.8780.07280.30580.26380.43181.23982.447
Romain Grosjean16.93137.59338.81340.45142.13844.02245.2645.52947.8549.77447.33644.66945.36760.58362.10365.18566.96268.23469.24170.61971.93773.70876.64977.72179.10980.10981.41187.21990.06392.86695.33398.748107.529
Jules Bianchi48.30966.66268.16870.04971.73872.97874.38175.37978.3181.20179.24476.59973.00776.62680.63784.84189.03693.41297.371101.285105.742110.438120.441136.818139.143141.272138.555131.99136.106140.146146.368149.389152.672157.703163.499167.944171.421175.417207.492
Pastor Maldonado11.42
Nico Hulkenberg8.0878.3589.54911.0712.84613.45914.79115.48518.79524.50734.59429.50223.35924.84826.58728.10629.49730.96632.03732.97134.35635.86637.66538.46639.50640.70838.71428.12131.63638.79354.05955.14955.92556.94258.23158.78659.66560.52361.59961.99262.13762.38863.07465.697
Max Chilton13.68416.65619.69422.50625.43528.16130.96532.61936.93441.51346.01957.96254.07758.16962.51666.73870.97575.39879.24382.89786.81191.03495.41598.986102.64106.352104.65696.071105.862125.342126.849129.524131.995135.618139.969142.865145.783147.917150.996158.21163.728167.782174.725
Esteban Gutierrez9.78811.25212.72114.64116.38117.1418.52218.70522.28525.64223.60621.57618.25326.97642.94244.3245.71746.86647.82448.97451.23252.97655.2556.32759.14560.80357.04946.06250.46858.38872.82473.49874.55275.6276.37478.34179.45181.71583.02184.79386.41687.54288.94790.825
Andre Lotterer12.333
Marcus Ericsson13.08616.10618.77921.7224.80627.39930.07731.49835.39340.15144.5556.9353.2557.05860.74965.57769.85373.84378.05381.40185.3389.27593.283101.882118.812119.74116.881106.435110.059114.822119.413123.095126.647130.101134.41139.553143.147146.66150.513155.952163.384169.892175.391

2014 Belgian Grand Prix

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Image © Williams/LAT

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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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18 comments on “Massa “lost 40 seconds” due to Hamilton tyre debris”

  1. Bottas +28s after RIC
    Massa +75,9s after RIC
    -40s for Massa brings him 7,9s after Bottas. I think Massa is just giving out a number that would bring him closer to Bottas finish time

    1. Rob Smedley also gave the 40 second number

    2. Umm, Smedley said that, not Massa.

    3. The “40 seconds” quote appears to be from Smedley, not Massa.

    4. If you look at the lap times charts, you’ll see what he’s talking about. After the 2nd stop, Massa was as quick as Bottas, sometimes even quicker. He’s not making excuses. Though being quick and actually overtaking are very different things.

      1. Bottas was on the Soft compound and Massa on medium. Then when Massa switched to new softs he was of course faster than Bottas on his worn out softs. Then Bottas got fresh mediums and he was acutally faster on those than Massa on softs.

        The charts merely seem to reflect tyre differences and Massa’s imagination running wild again how he could be on the podium “id only”.

        Rosberg also goes 3 seconds a lap faster too when he switches from medium to soft (of course hepled by getting free air).

        Compare Massa’s lap times to Sutil’s. They were driving together during the whole race. Indeed Massa was under more pressure when he was doing his stint on mediums, but the first stint not.

    5. In the shades of everything maybe he should once have a trouble free weekend. Monza up next, I really think he can score a podium there.

      1. Well, yeah, but qualifying down 9th didn’t help him do much in Spa either, needs to step up a step there to avoid being in the tussle for midfield.

    6. I also lost 40 secs. Listening to excuses.

  2. Seriously, the car is suddenly “2 seconds a lap slower” and he must have felt picking up the debris and still he just keeps going like that? No check for damage/debris during the first pit stop?

    It’s all either incredibly unlikely or incredibly incompetent.

    In reality I think it’s more likely that the lap time difference reflects that Massa was on the medium compound and Bottas on soft, combined with Massa simply being slower on race pace. Perhaps the debris added a few tenths if anything.

    1. 1: “his team hadn’t noticed what’s wrong with the car”
      2a: if a black thing is stuck on the black floor or the car and you have 5 seconds to notice, well… it’s not THAT unlikely
      2b: yes, it would’nt be the first time Williams is incompetent
      3: Perhaps the debris added a few seconds. He was slow before and after the first stop with brand new tyres. Then second pit stop, debris gone, Massa faster. Coincidence?

      1. It works both ways. Massa should have felt it and warned the team.

        I said it already above, but he went from medium to softs. It’s not such a big coincidence that he goes faster then. Rosberg also went 3 secs a lap faster too when he switched from medium to soft.

        Like I said, at worst it cost him a few tenths of laptime. Not 2 seconds per lap. He matched Sutil for pace during the whole race. Not just those first 2 stints.

  3. Massa seems to have the cartoon raincloud following him around. Much as I’d love to see him win again, or assume the Patrese/Regazzoni role at Williams (he’s clearly popular) maybe they should get someone luckier in…

    1. @bullfrog You mean Carlos Reutemann…

      1. A guy maybe past his best and towards the end of his career, but still a winner on his day.
        Popular, cheerful, easy-going, and not likely to get the number one driver wound up. That’s not Reutemann…

  4. Everytime Massa has a minor mechanical glitch, he continues.

    But when it comes to an accident, he retires.

    Funny but true. He isn’t the unlucky one on the grid.

  5. Gideon Hadi (@)
    25th August 2014, 13:13

    Hamilton seem quick in the first stint, but he dropped a lot after second pitstop

  6. I saw the tire piece on TV and a bunch of drivers between 3rd place and 8th were able to get away from the large debris, except Massa. Lewis Hamilton and Massa must go to a voodoo doctor or something. I have never seen so many things happen to these two.

Comments are closed.