Massa: The car was stuck in fifth

[Dare]

PlanetF1

My question,was it stuck in 5th before or after
the spin?I wonder who's replacing Massa next year?

Felipe Massa says it wasn't his spin that put him out of the German GP, rather it was the fact that his car was stuck in fifth.

The Ferrari driver's Sunday afternoon at the Nurburgring was over almost before it began as he spun off the track at Turn One on lap three.

Massa appeared to stall and climbed out of his car calling it a day but later revealed that his F138 was actually stuck in fifth gear, making it impossible for him to pull away.

"I braked at the straight and locked the rear wheels," the 32-year-old said.

"The car went sidewards to the right and then I corrected and it went sideways to the left.

"I stopped the car and was in fifth gear and tried to go down to first to get out but the gear was not going down. I was stuck in fifth gear.

"I tried to get out but the engine stopped, went out because it is difficult to leave in fifth gear. It just was not possible."

And although the Brazilian's grand prix was a short one, he still got to experience the revised Pirelli tyres which he reckons made little difference to the order of things.

"I see Red Bull were competitive in qualifying and in the race and Lotus was competitive as well, in the race more than in qualifying.

"Mercedes were very competitive in qualifying, a bit less for the race as when it gets a bit hot they suffer a lot more and use more of the tyres.

"We were more or less there, the car was not so bad on this track so I think maybe the Red Bulls were a bit stronger than us and the Lotus as well.

"But I don't think it [the tyres] changed so much, I don't think it was a bit thing."

[Alianora La Canta]

I can't see why Massa's car would have spun left at a right-hand bend without some malady occurring. Admittedly, a gearbox issue is a surprise, but it certainly won't have helped.

[Irisado]

It was an odd spin, so maybe he did have a gearbox issue.  It reminded me a bit of when Damon Hill went off on lap 2 of the 1995 German Grand Prix at Hockenheim when something 'locked up at the rear'.  Massa's spin will go down as driver error, but it was a very uncharacteristic way to go off.