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!
