Did Ferrari Order Massa to Block Hamilton?

[cosworth151]

Check out the Race Edit video of the Singapore GP on The Official F1 website:

http://www.formula1.com/video/

Listen at the 1:10 mark. Is that Rob Smedley telling Massa to "hold Hamilton" and "destroy his race?" 

This could get interesting.

[Jericoke]

Hardly a new tactic in F1.

I don't want to see it there, but I don't really see much that can be done about it.

[Scott]

That's not the point Jeri...Massa was a huge jerk about it after the race (as was I, I think...sorry Monty and Lewis    ).  It could well be taken as unsportsmanlike or bringing the sport into disrepute or some other little rule the FIA saves for those big big fines. 

I can't believe Smedley said that in the first place.  "Stay in front of Hamilton" would be a more acceptable way to put it, but to call on him to 'hold' Hamilton and then follow that up with 'Destroy his race'....well, wow.  Someone could even interpret that as an instruction to hit him. 

I wonder if Bernie heard that one and told them to put it in the race edit just to muck around.   

[Jericoke]

That's not the point Jeri...Massa was a huge jerk about it after the race (as was I, I think...sorry Monty and Lewis    ).  It could well be taken as unsportsmanlike or bringing the sport into disrepute or some other little rule the FIA saves for those big big fines. 

I can't believe Smedley said that in the first place.  "Stay in front of Hamilton" would be a more acceptable way to put it, but to call on him to 'hold' Hamilton and then follow that up with 'Destroy his race'....well, wow.  Someone could even interpret that as an instruction to hit him. 

I wonder if Bernie heard that one and told them to put it in the race edit just to muck around.   

I wonder if Massa was still following orders then?   

[Scott]

That's the big question now, isn't it   

[Andy B]

Surely this is unacceptable and needs to be dealt with, telling your driver to push to stay in front but to say destroy his race does that mean Massa saw Lewis about to overtake and he backed off a little?
Was it a set up and aimed at putting Lewis further under the bad spotlight?
Are we back to the antics that gave Alonso a win on the very same track?
I hope further investigation takes place or is it a case that its Ferrari so it goes no further?

I hate all this we, the fans, pay for the racing and want it good, clean and fair.
Gets off soap box and slinks away.

[lkjohnson1950]

Oh please! I doubt that Massa would deliberately put himself in the position to get a flat tire, and if someone hits you from behind the chances of you coming out unscathed are very slim. And he seemed very genuinely upset after the race was over. i think Smedley was just forcefully telling Felipe he needed to stay ahead of Hamilton. I don't see any upside to taking Hamilton out.

[John S]

Can't see any thing wrong in the radio transmission, destroying someones race strategy is not the same as destroying their race car. Even Massa, who for some reason seems to constantly need Smedley's guiding hand throughout races now, clearly knows this as well.   

Rob was just doing his usual to try to motivate Felipe, - now perhaps that is what really should be discussed.  

Martin Brundle seems to think so anyway, he wrote on Twitter that he is sure Smedley wanted Massa to:-   
"wreck Hamilton’s strategy, not his car". "Why would Massa damage his own car intentionally?"

"(The) real story is Smedley must constantly direct and motivate his driver (and) has done for some time,"

 

[cosworth151]

"Why would Massa damage his own car intentionally?"

The same reason that Piquet did, on the same track to help the same driver. He's the second driver and he did what he was told to do. He "took one for the team."

[Jericoke]

"Why would Massa damage his own car intentionally?"

The same reason that Piquet did, on the same track to help the same driver. He's the second driver and he did what he was told to do. He "took one for the team."

I agree... it's not a far fetched to come to that conclusion 

[markfarrell9572]

Is it not every drivers job to "destroy" his opponents race?  The only surprise I think here really is that it was Rob Smedley who said it.  We somehow expect more from him

[lkjohnson1950]

Come on. The pit strategies are completely different now, you cannot gain the same sort of advantage. The Piquet crash was to cause a safety car, which certainly would not have come out for the Massa/Hamilton bump. Even if Alonso had somehow gotten into the lead, he could not have held it against Vettel, even at Singapore. This was a racing incident between 2 drivers battling for position and nothing more.

[Ian]

In the RAF they used to call it....'Protect your Wingman'

[David]

Oh please! I doubt that Massa would deliberately put himself in the position to get a flat tire, and if someone hits you from behind the chances of you coming out unscathed are very slim. And he seemed very genuinely upset after the race was over. i think Smedley was just forcefully telling Felipe he needed to stay ahead of Hamilton. I don't see any upside to taking Hamilton out.

I go away for a couple of days and miss all the fun. 

I have to agree with Lonny, this is a badly worded transmission by Smedley. Why would he say something to incriminate them both and the team over open airwaves.

[Scott]

I don't seriously think there's a conspiracy...in fact if anything I bet Massa may have over-reacted to the transmission and paid too much attention to his mirrors and not enough to his racing line.