Felipe Massa excluded, Williams will appeal

Since the first free practice sessions for the Brazilian Grand Prix last Friday, Felipe Massa has appeared in difficulty on the Interlagos track, a track where the 2008 world vice-champion has already won twice in 2006 and 2008 with the Team Ferrari.

The Paulist, only eighth on the grid, was not able to rise to the level of his teammate Valtteri Bottas, fifth behind both Mercedes and the two Ferraris, at the end of a race " frustrating " as the former Sauber driver admitted, despite third place in the Manufacturers' championship secured by the team Whole grained.

It was without counting on an exclusion of the Williams FW37 n°19 which occurred in the evening, for a temperature of the right rear tire measured too high after the “5 minutes” signal has been given on the starting grid. The tire was measured at a temperature of 137 ° C, or 27° C above the limit of 110° C. Williams Martini Racing has announced its intention to appeal the decision to exclude Felipe Massa.

This decision temporarily allows Romain Grosjean (Lotus) and Max Verstappen (Toro Rosso) to climb one place in the hierarchy to eighth and ninth position, while Pastor Maldonado (Lotus) recovers the point for tenth place.

Find the report and analysis of the Brazilian Grand Prix, produced by our special correspondents in São Paulo, in issue 2038 of AUTOhebdo, available from tomorrow evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.