For the smart people out there who guessed from the title, yes I'm referring to the Singapore Grand Prix. The spotlight however, will be not placed on Alonso (the winner), but the Ferrari team instead. I guess those who read the news or watched the race would know what I'm about to say next.
Yep, it's about Massa and his fuel hose.
To enlighten those in the dark, Massa was given the green light to move while a fuel hose was still attached to his car. He then sped off, and promptly knocked over a pit crew member who was eventually stretchered away. The rest literally ran after him before he realised what was going on. I must admit that it was a funny (albeit painful) sight to behold. Grown men running after a car with a hose sticking out? Fodder for comedy, I say.
[Credit]
It is a great pity though, that this mistake later led to a penalty which eventually resulted in Massa's heavily demoted placing. And all this happened just because another pit member gave the go-ahead prematurely. However, it was Massa's response after the race which caught my attention."We could have finished first and second and it could have been different," he said as he slipped seven points behind Hamilton in the drivers' standings with three races left after the Briton finished third.
"It is hard to deal with losing in this fashion a race that was within our grasp with a car that was just the way I wanted it.
"But things can change in a moment and that's what happened today.
"We are all human beings, everyone makes mistakes. I am not the sort of person who goes to a guy and fights with him.
"So I went to the guy and gave him even more motivation because we need him and we need everybody together for the last three races of the season." [source]
With the article aptly named "Formula One: Massa refused to blame crew for pit disaster", I say with certainty that Massa's magnanimity has earned my respect. Not only is he the initiator-contributor whom the team depends heavily on for results, Felipe Massa turned out to be an encourager as well! Knowing that the responsible pit member was well, in the pits, Massa went to cheer him on. I find it extremely commendable to have a member like Massa, where most others in the same situation would complain instead. And like he mentioned, he needed the guy and they needed the team to be together for the rest of the season. It shows how each member in the group has a certain role to play, such that the lacklustre performance of one would have an adverse effect on the rest. Group synergy plays a crucial role in F1 races as the time spent in pit stops could make or break the entire race. Synergy is when everyone in the team works together cohesively, such that the task is accomplished in the shortest time possible. When such teamwork is in play, only 6 to 12 seconds are needed for refuelling.
And as we all know, every second (or millisecond, in this instance) counts.
Cheers, Team Ferrari!
6 comments:
hahah aww massa! My heart just plunged when i saw what happened THEY NEVER SHOULD HAVE IMPLEMENTED THIS NEW TECHNOLOGY! BRING BACK THE LOLLIPOP MAN I SAY!
But yes, Massa's a pretty decent guy. At least he didn't make the guys holding the light or the fuel hose any worser than they probably felt. I can't Imagine falling from first to last because of such a freak accident, and i guess that's what makes his comment even more special!
massa's actions and words indeed are a wonderful form of encouragement. Instead of throwing negatives at the person who made the mistake..his actions definitely strengthened the bonds in the team and I'm pretty sure, motivates the team to be more determined to do their best in all the matches to come. I say massa's actions is Formula one for team bonding and synergy.
F1 finally hits the town!
After the race ended, im sure most of us were taken aback with the results of the hot favourites!
But nonetheless, Alonso was the one to look out for in this race, mentioned by the commentator at the start of the race.
However, go MASSA! im touched by what he said. Very commendable actions and a pretty good fella!
This F1 race was indeed filled with much unexpected happenings.
-Christina
I wonder how many of us would have done the same thing as Massa. Imagine slipping from 1st or 2nd place to the last few, would you not start hurling vulgarities at the guy who gave a wrong green light ? Or perhaps he is playing the "Mister-I'm-nice-to-everyone-so-I-will-be-popular-with-the-public".
Alright sponsers, offer Mister-Nice-guy some watch or Toothpaste contract already !
-Jodi Cheung
I guess Massa might be doing all these in a bid to improve the morale of the team. Especially when there are still three more races left, it's important that the team stays together and be at their best. In a way, you could say that Massa is trying to boost his own chances, and that he knows that he can't do it on his own. And that's why group synergy and effort is important!
Did someone say, f1! I was quite surprised to read that Massa actually went to encourage the guy, despite his chances of winning the competition being jeopardized by that act. But I'm sure he considered the larger picture at hand, and more importantly, in order to win any race, they need all the teamwork they can!
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